The Green Bay Packers lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins head coaching job. The Packers have hired Jonathan Gannon to replace Hafley, but two other defensive assistants followed Hafley from Green Bay to Miami.
Green Bay still needs to fill those position coach roles.
A to Z Sports’ Wendell Ferreira argued the Packers could use Gannon relationships to find suitable replacements. Ferreira identified Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis as the top potential staff addition for the Packers defense.
“Rallis is still technically under contract with the Cardinals, but he should be allowed to look for other opportunities without many issues,” Ferreira wrote. “He was the Eagles’ linebackers coach in 2021 and 2022, and Gannon brought him to the Cardinals as a defensive coordinator.
“He’s been a creative mind and was the play-caller for Gannon — the results weren’t exactly great, but neither was the personnel.”
Ferreira suggested Rallis could serve as linebackers coach in Green Bay. While that would be a demotion from his role in Arizona, there’s no guarantee the Cardinals next head coach retains Rallis.
Rallis coached linebackers for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2021-22. Rallis has coached under Gannon over the past five years.
Packers previous linebackers coach, Sean Duggan, was one of the team’s two defensive assistants to leave with Hafley for Miami. Defensive backs coach Ryan Downard also departed to the Dolphins.
Why the Packers Could Pursue Hiring Nick Rallis
If Rallis doesn’t return to Arizona, Green Bay becomes an obvious landing spot for the defensive assistant. His relationship with Gannon and the Packers opening at linebackers coach make it an ideal match.
As Ferreira mentioned, Rallis’s unit in Arizona didn’t perform particularly well. But Gannon should hold responsibility for that as well, and the Packers had no issue hiring him.
The Cardinals also had one of the most talent-depleted rosters in the league.
Under Rallis, the Cardinals were 27th in yards allowed and 29th in points yielded during 2025. Arizona’s best marks with Rallis as defensive coordinator came in 2024 when the unit was 15th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.
Rallis doesn’t turn 33 years old until July. He began his coaching career at Wake Forest as quality control in 2017. The following year, he joined the Minnesota Vikings staff as defensive quality control.
Rallis missed working under Gannon in Minnesota by a year. But after thee seasons with the Vikings, he joined Gannon in Philadelphia. Gannon coached for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-20.
In his final season with the Vikings, Rallis was an assistant linebackers coach during 2020.
Other Assistants the Packers Could Target
Rallis was just one of five staff additions Ferreira proposed as possible for Green Bay. The A to Z writer also listed four other potential hires the Packers could make with ties to Gannon.
Two others were former Cardinals assistants — outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney and defensive quality control coach Ronald Booker. The other two were former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and Seattle Seahawks safeties coach Jeff Howard.
The Packers hiring Eberflus would grab the most headlines. He’s struggled in his last few roles, getting fired by the Dallas Cowboys after 2025. But as a high-level assistant, Eberflus could be a great addition to Green Bay’s staff.
Eberflus was the Colts defensive coordinator when Gannon was in Indianapolis as a position coach. Gannon worked with Howard in Minnesota.
Packers Predicted to Potentially Add Ex-DC to Replace Jeff Hafley Exodus