Tag: Jeff Hafley

Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; The Miami Dolphins logo is seen at midfield prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Reports: Dolphins hiring Sean Duggan as defensive coordinator

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Miami Dolphins are hiring Green Bay Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan as defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

Duggan, 32, follows his longtime colleague, new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, after they coached together at Ohio State, Boston College and Green Bay.

They were together for both of Hafley’s years with the Packers, with Duggan brought in as a defensive assistant in 2024 and promoted to linebackers coach in 2025 under Hafley as defensive coordinator.

Hafley was a head coach at Boston College, where Duggan had earlier played linebacker (2011-14) and later joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant (2015), linebackers coach (2020-22) and co-defensive coordinator (2023).

Duggan also was an assistant at Hawaii, UMass and Ohio State, the latter in 2019 when Hafley was co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Hafley said in January after he was hired by Miami that he plans to call defensive plays.

The personnel staffing movement from Green Bay to Miami also includes new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan — who spent 22 seasons with the Packers — as well as Dolphins quarterback coach Nathaniel Hackett, defensive backs coach Ryan Downard and defensive quality coach Wendel Davis.

Duggan will replace Anthony Weaver, the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons and a candidate in this year’s cycle for head coaching jobs. The last two hires reportedly are going to be Mike LaFleur for the Arizona Cardinals’ vacancy and Klint Kubiak for the Las Vegas Raiders’ post.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Packers to hire ex-Cards coach Jonathan Gannon as DC

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Green Bay Packers are set to hire former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday.

Gannon would replace Jeff Hafley, who spent the past two seasons running the Packers’ defense before accepting the head coaching position with the Miami Dolphins on Monday.

Gannon, 42, interviewed for several defensive coordinator positions throughout the league after being fired by the Cardinals on Jan. 5.

The Cardinals finished 3-14 in the recently completed season and 15-36 over three campaigns with Arizona.

Prior to taking the job, Gannon spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.

–Field Level Media

Packers DC Jeff Hafley interviews for Falcons’ HC position

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jeff Hafley interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Thursday.

Hafley, 46, has spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. He also served as the co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach at Ohio State in 2019 before spending 2020-23 as the head coach at Boston College.

Hafley was the seventh person to formally interview for the Falcons’ position, joining former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, among others.

Multiple media outlets, however, reported Thursday that Harbaugh has agreed to terms to become the head coach of the New York Giants.

Atlanta also has completed head coach interviews with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and both Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and defensive coordinator Aden Durde.

The Falcons (8-9) finished in a three-way tie atop the NFC South this season. Owner Arthur Blank elected to fire head coach Raheem Morris after two seasons and GM Terry Fontenot after five seasons despite the team winning its final four games in 2025 after it had been eliminated from the postseason.

Former Falcons MVP quarterback Matt Ryan was hired as the team’s new president of football on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley acknowledges the fans during the first half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Packers hire Boston College’s Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Green Bay Packers hired Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator on Wednesday.

Hafley, 44, was a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13), Cleveland Browns (2014-15) and San Francisco 49ers (2016-18) before his second stint in the college ranks.

“We are excited to welcome Jeff, his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Hope and Leah, to the Packers and the Green Bay community,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said in a statement. “Jeff has had success at every stop of his coaching career with an impressive track record of developing players at every level. We look forward to him leading our defense.”

Hafley was co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Ohio State in 2019, when the Buckeyes had one of the top defenses in the nation in several statistical categories. He was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant football coach in NCAA Division I.

Hafley was 22-26 in four seasons at Boston College, going 7-6 in 2023, including a win over No. 22 SMU in the Fenway Bowl.

“I loved my four years at Boston College,” Hafley said in a statement released by Boston College. “This is an exceptional place to coach given the caliber of student-athletes we recruit, the facilities, and the support from the University and BC fans. I will miss the players who gave so much of themselves these past four years, and my wife Gina and I will certainly miss the BC community and the many friends we have made here.”

Hafley coached at the college level from 2001-11 before his NFL coaching experience.

In replacing the fired Joe Barry, Hafley becomes the third different defensive coordinator as LaFleur enters his sixth season as Packers head coach.

–Field Level Media

Jul 22, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Boston College Eagles coach Jeff Hafley speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at The Westin Charlotte. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Boston College helped player transfer after he declined vax

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The entire Boston College Eagles football team is vaccinated against COVID-19, coach Jeff Hafley said, in accordance with a school policy requiring inoculation.

One player who was set to return to the Eagles this season refused the vaccine and Hafley’s response was to help that player find a new program and transfer.

“I never gave my opinion about it,” Hafley said Thursday during ACC media day. “I just said, ‘This is the school rule. If you don’t want to get it, I’ll support you.’ We had one player who didn’t want to get it, and we helped find him a new home.”

Hafley kept that ex-Eagles player anonymous.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said this week that more than half of the league’s 14 full-time programs have already reached the suggested 85 percent mark for player vaccinations.

That 14 didn’t count Notre Dame, a part-time member for football. But like Boston College, Notre Dame is mandating that all its students be vaccinated in order to return to campus.

Hafley’s first season as Boston College’s head coach coincided with the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season. Before taking the job, Hafley was Ohio State’s secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2019 and held a number of other NFL and collegiate assistant roles.

–Field Level Media