Getty Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Green Bay Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur are moving on from embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the team announced on January 24.
Despite a strong finish to the regular season and a postseason victory over the Dallas Cowboys that included an interception returned for a touchdown by safety Darnell Savage, the Packers‘ struggles defensively were too much for Barry to overcome and retain his job.
Green Bay finished the 2023 regular season ranked No. 17 in total defense and allowed an average of 20.6 points per game, and the Packers suffered several defensive breakdowns in key games over the second half of the season.
Barry, who spent three seasons as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, came under fire for a disappointing showing against the Buccaneers on December 17, when Tampa Bay ambushed the Packers at Lambeau Field, producing 452 yards of total offense in a 34-20 Green Bay loss.
There is plenty of optimism surrounding the Packers entering the 2024 season, particularly because of quarterback Jordan Love‘s emergence in his first season as a starter, but LaFleur made a change on defense in order for this team to reach its lofty potential.
A change in Green Bay: Joe Barry will not return as the #Packers’ defensive coordinator, per sources.
Matt LaFleur Took Time to Decide on Barry’s Future
Barry’s firing comes after LaFleur declined to address the 53-year-old’s future following the loss to Tampa Bay, or at any point during the season, choosing instead to let the regular season play out.
It is obvious that LaFleur carefully deliberated the Packers’ options and whether Barry is the right voice to turn things around, declining even to announce any sort of decision in the aftermath of Green Bay’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round.
“We’re just getting into the evaluation portion right now,” LaFleur told reporters during his season-ending press conference on January 22. “I haven’t met with any of our coaches yet. That’ll start this afternoon.”
“I haven’t even thought about that at this stage,” he said. “Kind of going through everything right now. I want to certainly sit down with every assistant before any decisions are made.”
Now, the pressure is on LaFleur to hire the right DC, according to USA Today’s Zach Kruse.
“LaFleur must get this hire right,” Kruse wrote on January 24. “His track record isn’t strong. He’s going on his third defensive coordinator, and it took LaFleur three special teams coordinator hires to create any kind of improvement. The right coordinator could make a huge difference — the Packers need a leader who can ignite and unite the talent on defense.”
Packers Could Lose Defensive Star in Free Agency
The Packers might struggle to retain one of the defense’s standout contributors when free agency begins on March 13.
Savage is set to become a free agent for the first time, and with the Packers set to have just $7.9 million in cap space and a potentially massive contract extension looming for Jordan Love, it might prove difficult to keep Savage.
However, Savage isn’t worried about what might be next.
“I’m not nervous,” Savage said, according to Jason Wilde of Madison.com. “It’s been a great time. I love this place, love Green Bay, love all my teammates in here. It’s a great place. That ‘G’ stands for ‘greatness.’”
Savage finished the 2023 season with 51 total tackles.