Getty Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers walks onto the field during warmups before a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field on August 19, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
While it isn’t hot off the presses if it doesn’t involve the trade of Aaron Rodgers, significant news continues to flow from the Green Bay Packers organization.
Most recently, such updates included one in which the franchise named special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia its new assistant head coach, just one rung on the ladder below head coach Matt LaFleur. Bisaccia will also continue on in his role as the Packers special teams coordinator.
LaFleur announced the decision on Friday, March 10, as well as a handful of other coaching moves that the team subsequently listed in a post to its official website.
“The Green Bay Packers have promoted Rich Bisaccia to assistant head coach/special teams coordinator, hired Greg Williams as passing game coordinator (defense), promoted Ryan Downard to defensive backs coach, promoted Jason Rebrovich to pass rush specialist and hired Tim Lester as senior analyst, Rob Grosso as an offensive quality control coach and Kyle Wilber as special teams quality control coach,” the post noted.
Bisaccia Flipped Packers Special Teams From Liability to Strength in 1 Year
GettyGreen Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, formerly the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, got a promotion that will put him alongside Packers head coach Matt LaFleur moving forward.
Bisaccia served as special teams coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders before assuming the duties of interim head coach there to finish out the 2021 campaign. He landed in Green Bay last season where he was tasked with turning around a problematic special teams unit that contributed significantly the Packers’ early exit from the previous playoffs via a home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
With him Bisaccia brought backup wide receiver and kick returner Keisean Nixon, though after his performance in 2022, perhaps Nixon’s title should be amended to kick returner extraordinaire.
Nixon led the NFL in kick return yards with 1,009 total, despite not assuming the duties full-time until midseason. He was ultimately named a first-team All Pro at the position, the first Packers player to win that honor in franchise history. Nixon also scored a kick-return touchdown in 2022, posting the longest return in the NFL for the season with the 105-yard score.
Bisaccia is not a stranger to the distinction of assistant/associate head coach, a title he has held in 12 different campaigns across his 21-year NFL career. Bisaccia interviewed for the Indianapolis Colts head coaching position this offseason and made it to the final five before that team ultimately settled on former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen for the job.
LaFleur Hires Former Teammate to Prominent Packers Coaching Role
GettyHead coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers is seen on the field prior to a game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Beyond elevating Bisaccia to the position of assistant head coach, the only other arguable splash the team made in the coaching department was LaFleur’s hiring of his former collegiate teammate.
LaFleur hired the aforementioned Tim Lester as a senior analyst, which he also announced on Friday. LaFleur served as the backup quarterback to Lester during their days together at Western Michigan back in the late 90s.
Lester eventually became head coach of that program, a job he held from 2017-22. Before that, he served as the quarterbacks coach at Purdue University in 2016.