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The Green Bay Packers bypassed an interview with former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard in large part because of concern that another team was going to steal away Jonathan Gannon, who has reportedly agreed to become the Packers next defensive coordinator.
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Gannon was in demand during this hiring cycle, and the Packers weren't willing to wait -- even one extra day -- in fear of losing the former Arizona Cardinals coach to another team, namely the Los Angeles Chargers or New York Giants.
More from Demovsky on Gannon while appearing on ESPN Milwaukee on Monday:
"This is a guy who was going to be a defensive coordinator somewhere in the league this year, he was in demand, and the Packers felt like they couldn't wait any longer because he was going to get snapped up by somebody. That came at the expense of interviewing Jim Leonhard, who would have been available today to talk."
The Broncos lost in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, so Leonhard would have been immediately available for an interview with LaFleur and the Packers. Instead, Gannon reportedly took the job on Sunday morning, well before kickoff in Denver.
Per Demovsky, LaFleur liked that Gannon has previously been a head coach in the NFL, and that he comes from a defensive backs background, just like Hafley.
Not longer after Gannon's hiring was announced, the Giants announced Dennard Wilson as John Harbaugh's hire at defensive coordinator. The Chargers have not announced a defensive coordinator hire yet.
Gannon was fired by the Cardinals in early January following a 3-14 season, which ended with nine straight losses. He went 15-36 as the head coach in Arizona. Previously, Gannon was the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia from 2021 to 2022.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers 'couldn't wait any longer' before hiring Jonathan Gannon as DC
Continue reading...
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Gannon was in demand during this hiring cycle, and the Packers weren't willing to wait -- even one extra day -- in fear of losing the former Arizona Cardinals coach to another team, namely the Los Angeles Chargers or New York Giants.
More from Demovsky on Gannon while appearing on ESPN Milwaukee on Monday:
"This is a guy who was going to be a defensive coordinator somewhere in the league this year, he was in demand, and the Packers felt like they couldn't wait any longer because he was going to get snapped up by somebody. That came at the expense of interviewing Jim Leonhard, who would have been available today to talk."
The Broncos lost in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, so Leonhard would have been immediately available for an interview with LaFleur and the Packers. Instead, Gannon reportedly took the job on Sunday morning, well before kickoff in Denver.
Per Demovsky, LaFleur liked that Gannon has previously been a head coach in the NFL, and that he comes from a defensive backs background, just like Hafley.
Not longer after Gannon's hiring was announced, the Giants announced Dennard Wilson as John Harbaugh's hire at defensive coordinator. The Chargers have not announced a defensive coordinator hire yet.
Gannon was fired by the Cardinals in early January following a 3-14 season, which ended with nine straight losses. He went 15-36 as the head coach in Arizona. Previously, Gannon was the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia from 2021 to 2022.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers 'couldn't wait any longer' before hiring Jonathan Gannon as DC
Continue reading...
