The Green Bay Packers’ first regular-season game under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon comes with a once-close problem waiting on the other sideline.
Gannon spent three seasons coaching Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals. On Sunday, he will be charged with slowing Murray down when the Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium for their Week 1 matchup.
Gannon granted his take on his former quarterback ahead of the reunion.
“Really good player. He’s in a really good offense with some elite players,” Gannon said Tuesday, via NFL writer Jason B. Hirschhorn on X. “Obviously, I got nothing but love and respect for K1!”
“Really good player. He’s in a really good offense with some elite players. Obviously, I got nothing but love and respect for K1.”
The comments add to a divisional opener already carrying plenty of intrigue. Gannon knows Murray’s strengths from years of seeing them up close, while Murray spent the same stretch practicing against defenses formed by Gannon’s approach.
Gannon Knows What Kyler Murray Can Do
Gannon took over in Arizona in 2023 while Murray was still working his way back from the torn ACL that ended his previous season.
Murray returned in November and started eight games before remaining healthy for all 17 in 2024. That season produced some of the best offensive football of Gannon’s tenure. The Cardinals finished with 6,090 total yards, and Murray passed for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 572 yards and five scores on the ground.
Green Bay highlighted those numbers in Gannon’s official biography after hiring him as defensive coordinator. Arizona also finished seventh in rushing offense and second in yards per carry during the 2024 season.
The pairing unraveled the following year. Murray played only five games in 2025 because of a foot injury, while Arizona stumbled to 3-14. The Cardinals fired Gannon in January and released Murray in March, ending the quarterback’s seven-year run with the franchise.
Minnesota quickly supplied Murray with another opportunity, signing the former No. 1 overall pick to a one-year contract. He eventually beat out J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, with head coach Kevin O’Connell announcing the decision in August.
That puts Gannon and Murray on opposite sides only months after both moved on from Arizona.
Packers Face Different Version of Familiar Quarterback
Gannon’s praise also acknowledged the situation around Murray in Minnesota.
The quarterback now has Justin Jefferson as his top target, along with veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson in O’Connell’s offense. That supporting cast gives Gannon more to account for alongside Murray’s ability to extend plays and create yardage with his legs.
Murray enters the season with 20,460 career passing yards, 121 touchdown passes and 32 rushing touchdowns. He also has two Pro Bowl selections and was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after Arizona selected him first overall in 2019.
The Packers have seen Murray before, but Gannon’s presence gives this matchup a different complexion. Few defensive coordinators could have a better understanding of how the Vikings quarterback reacts to pressure, what he can create outside structure and which looks may force him to hesitate.
The awareness goes both ways.
Murray spent three seasons watching Gannon’s teams prepare, so the former Oklahoma Sooner has his own insight into some of the principles Green Bay could bring into the matchup.
That makes Sunday an early test of how much Gannon can utilize his knowledge into an advantage for the Packers.
Once the game starts, Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator will be looking for every possible way to make his former quarterback uncomfortable.
Packers’ DC Makes Feelings Clear on Vikings’ Kyler Murray Before Reunion