The Green Bay Packers have gotten comfortable with Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
A member of the franchise’s last Super Bowl team isn’t buying the optimism yet.
Former Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga delivered a harsh assessment of Gannon during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, revisiting a move Green Bay made nearly seven months earlier.
“Honestly, I hated the hire,” Poppinga said in a clip shared by Mad Dog Sports Radio. He followed with an even stronger evaluation: “Jonathan Gannon is not a good defensive coordinator.”
The Packers have publicly praised Gannon’s energy and adaptability throughout camp, while several defenders have sounded comfortable with the new approach.
On the flip side, Poppinga appears unconvinced that Gannon’s warrants that confidence.
Poppinga Questions Gannon’s Track Record
Green Bay hired Gannon on Feb. 2 after Jeff Hafley left to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Matt LaFleur called Gannon an experienced coach and “a strong leader of our defense” when the Packers announced the move.
Gannon arrived in Green Bay after three seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He went 15-36 in Arizona and was fired following a 3-14 season in 2025. NFL.com noted that Gannon’s previous stint as a coordinator produced a much different result.
Gannon ran the Philadelphia Eagles defense in 2021 and 2022, with his final unit recording 70 sacks and finishing second in total defense as Philadelphia reached Super Bowl LVII. His head-coaching record gives Poppinga material for skepticism, although his last season calling an NFL defense ended on the sport’s biggest stage.
Poppinga’s connection to Green Bay makes the criticism raise eyebrows around the organization.
He spent six seasons with the Packers from 2005 through 2010 and was part of the Super Bowl XLV championship team. He appeared in 100 regular-season games during his eight-year NFL career.
Packers Defenders Have Sounded Encouraged by Gannon
The initial feedback from inside the building has been much warmer than Poppinga’s take.
Gannon said in May that he was building a “new system” around the strengths of Green Bay’s personnel instead of simply importing the defense he used in Philadelphia or Arizona. His message has centered on adapting the scheme to the players on the roster.
That approach has received public support.
Lukas Van Ness said during minicamp that Gannon’s defense was “allowing us to play free without thinking.” Gannon later praised Van Ness’ versatility and called the former first-round pick an “intricate part” of what Green Bay plans to do defensively.
Two-time All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney has also appeared comfortable in the system.
Packers.com described McKinney as a “dynamic fit” earlier in August, with Gannon taking advantage of a deep safety group and using different combinations to change the concept before the snap.
Gannon also inherited a defense with high-end talent, including Micah Parsons, which boosts expectations for his first year in Green Bay. There will be considerably more pressure on the results once the regular season begins than anything shown during OTAs, training camp or preseason games.
Poppinga has now supplied the opposite side of the coin just before Gannon’s defense gets its first valid test.
If the Packers start quickly on that side of the ball, his criticism may disappear into the background. A rough opening, though, could make his “hated the hire” declaration resurface in a hurry.
Packers Super Bowl Champion Rips Jonathan Gannon Hire