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Dolphins Ask Permission to Speak to Jeff Hafley

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By Mike Oliva | Last updated Jan 11, 2026 4:12 PM ET

Dolphins Ask Permission to Speak to Jeff Hafley

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders have asked permission from the Packers to speak to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley about their vacant head coaching position.

Hafley is 46 years old and has been the Packers’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

Before that, he was the head coach at Boston College.

Boston College is a tough place to win because of a lack of a real NIL collective, poor facilities, and no recruiting base in Massachusetts. During his four years as head coach there, he had them bowl eligible 3 times in 4 years. Which is wildly successful given what BC is working with and its small budget.

His overall record there was under .500, but that is more about the situation than him.

His first season as the Packers’ DC in 2024 went really well. The Packers’ defense ranked highly in many categories during the 2024 season, finishing 3rd in points allowed, 6th in points per drive, 4th in EPA, and 5th in total defense. And they also posted the 3rd-highest turnover rate.

This past season, the Packers were hit with a lot of injuries on defense, and he still had that unit ranked just outside of the Top 10 in total defense, passing defense, rushing defense, and points allowed.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins are requesting to interview Packers DC Jeff Hafley for their head coaching positions, per source.

That will be five requests and counting for Hafley. pic.twitter.com/JJD6s2crl4

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 11, 2026

Hafley is one of the hot assistant coaches this hiring cyle and many believe he will get a head coaching job this offseason.

That is yet to be determined, and how the Packers’ season ended Saturday night, that may have changed things, but it shouldn’t.

Can’t just focus on one game and ignore a 2-year body of work that is remarkable from Hafley in Green Bay.

Hafley obviously has ties to new Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, which makes him a favorite to land this job.

I am sure Miami will want John Harbaugh and probably Matt LaFluer (if he becomes available this week), but if not, Hafley is someone I could see getting multiple interviews with the Dolphins.

And while I know almost all Dolphins fans want a head coach with prior NFL head coaching experience, if Miami is unable to land that type of candidate, and is forced to go with a first time head coach, Hafley wouldn’t be a bad selection.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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