The Pittsburgh Steelers just started the process of finding their next head coach Wednesday. But if the organization wants to hire Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, they might have to do it quickly.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Saturday afternoon Hafley has emerged as the top candidate for the Miami Dolphins, who are, along with the Steelers, one of nine teams searching for a new head coach this offseason.
“I’m told that Hafley blew everyone away in his initial virtual interview with the Dolphins,” Pelissero said on NFL Network. “He worked with their new GM, John Eric Sullivan, in Green Bay. Has head coach experience at Boston College.
“At this point, Hafley appears to be the leading candidate in Miami.”
It’s hardly a foregone conclusion that Hafley lands in Miami. However, that doesn’t mean it will get any easier for the Steelers to hire Hafley if he’s their top choice.
Pelissero also reported the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals have requested to interview Hafley a second time.
Hafley has 25 years worth of coaching experience. He’s spent nine seasons in the NFL as an assistant.
Should Jeff Hafley Be at Top of Steelers’ Head Coach Wish List?
Hafley emerging as a top choice at other places is only disappointing news if he’s also the Steelers’ preference. It’s hard to say anyone is Pittsburgh’s top choice at the moment since the organization really just started its coaching search.
But Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora left little doubt that Hafley is his top choice as Pittsburgh’s next head coach.
“He’s my top candidate. No, he’s not directly from the Sean McVay tree. At 46, he’s far from old, but isn’t the uber-young hotshot like other names in the cycle. Or even of Mike Tomlin (35), Bill Cowher (35), and Chuck Noll (37) when they began their Steelers tenures,” wrote Kozora.
“Why Hafley? I think about head coach through a lens similar as Art Rooney II. It isn’t just about offensive or defensive mind, nor which side of the ball needs fixed more. Teams can — and have — fooled themselves into getting hyper focused on speciality and not the big picture — which the true job of a head coach. Leadership, organization, delegation, problem solving, relationship building. That’s what makes a successful head coach. The special sauce Noll, Cowher and Tomlin all possessed …
“[Hafley] has it all. Leader. Teacher. Connector. Football mind.”
Hafley coached running backs at the D-III level to begin his coaching career in 2001. He then coached at the FBS and FCS levels for a decade before jumping to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a defensive backs assistant coach in 2012.
In addition to his nine years of NFL coaching experience, Hafley served as Boston College’s head coach from 2020-23. He left that role for the Packers defensive coordinator job in 2024, citing the new college football landscape as the reason for his departure.
From 2014-18, Hafley coached defensive backs for the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.
Hafley’s Ties to Pittsburgh
Hafley also has Pittsburgh ties, which could be important to some Steelers fans. Cowher was an NFL assistant who came home to become Steelers head coach in 1992.
Hafley served as a defensive assistant at Pitt from 2006-10. That’s where he met his wife, whose family is from Pittsburgh.
The coach spent five years at Pitt. That’s the longest tenure of his coaching career.
In both of his two seasons as Packers defensive coordinator, Green Bay finished in the top 12 in yards and points allowed. During 2024, the Packers were fifth in yards yielded and sixth in points allowed.
Hafley also served as a co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2019 before becoming Boston College’s head coach.
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