Did the Packers make the right call with Rich Bisaccia?

When Matt LaFleur hired his initial coaching staff with the Green Bay Packers in 2019, he had an opportunity to interview Darren Rizzi, a former Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. However, the Packers went to a cheaper route, letting Rizzi leave without a deal — he later signed with the New Orleans Saints, where he still coaches.

After a revolving door of special teams coordinators and costly mistakes, which included a playoff elimination because of a blocked punt in 2021, LaFleur and the Packers finally made the decision to hire a respected and high-paid coordinator. And that's how Rich Bisaccia became the choice. In 2023, he was even promoted to assistant head coach in addition to his role as special teams coordinator.

But was this the right hire? And did it happen for the right reasons?

When the Packers hired Bisaccia, he was coming off a great season. But it was not exactly a great season as a special teams coordinator. The Las Vegas Raiders were 11th on Rick Gosselin's special teams rankings — and that's great for what the Packers have endured, but not exactly a calling card for a coordinator to become the highest-paid one. It was his role as an interim head coach that increased his value.

He took over the Raiders after Jon Gruden's email scandal and subsequent resignation. Even under such circumstances, he led the Raiders to a playoff appearance. He interviewed for the definitive job, but the Raiders ended up hiring Josh McDaniels, which opened the door for the Packers to get him.

"He is a fiery dude, man. I can't wait," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said at the time of the hiring. "I can't wait to see how he interacts with our players, and that dimension he's going to bring not only to the special teams, but our entire team."

In 2022, the Packers really improved. They went from 32nd in 2021 to 17th in 2022 according to DVOA. But that's happened mostly because Keisean Nixon was amazing as a returner in the second half of the season, getting a first-team All-Pro nod. This year, the team is 28th in DVOA through 10 weeks even with several special teamers on the 53-man roster — Keisean Nixon , Eric Wilson, Kristian Welch, Dallin Leavitt, and Zayne Anderson, for example.

Track record

Rich Bisaccia has a good, but not great track record as a special teams coordinator. He's gone through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-2010), San Diego Chargers (2011-2012), Dallas Cowboys (2013-2017), and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018-2021) before arriving in Green Bay. Over those 20 seasons, his average position on the Rick Gosselin rankings was 14th. Over two decades, he appeared on the top 5 four times.

The top five of the rankings until 2021 included three coaches who are still active: Dave Toub (Kansas City Chiefs), Joe Judge (New England Patriots), and, wait for it, Darren Rizzi (New Orleans Saints). The other two are Jerry Rosburg, who spent time as an assistant and interim head coach for the Denver Broncos last year, and the late Pete Rodriguez.

The Packers hired Rich Bisaccia thinking he would definitively solve their special teams issues. But his value was high because of his job as an interim head coach, not necessarily as a coordinator. The job descriptions are fairly different, and the Packers are paying the price.

Bisaccia is a solid coach, and a huge improvement over what they had in Shawn Mennenga and Maurice Drayton. But that doesn't mean the Packers are getting what they hoped.