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Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon looks onto the field during a NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jonathan Gannon Hiring by Packers Narrows Washington Commanders Search

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Jan 25, 2026 2:00 PM ET

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders’ list of defensive coordinator candidates got a bit shorter ahead of the AFC and NFC Championship Games with Jonathan Gannon reportedly headed to the Green Bay Packers.

That report, first seen coming from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, means that Gannon will replace Jeff Hafley, who had been the Packers’ defensive coordinator since 2024 and helped that team hold the Commanders to just 18 points in what became the last game the burgundy and gold walked into healthy in 2025.

Why Gannon wasn’t the right fit

Gannon had previously interviewed with Washington as one of several candidates to speak with the team about the opening, but I never truly considered him a front-runner for the position based on head coach Dan Quinn’s statements about being more aggressive and generating more turnovers on defense. Gannon’s defenses have never been known to carry the markings of either, outside of one season as the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, where the unit recorded 70 sacks despite very little design help from the coordinator himself.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Comparing the pass rush production

In three years as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Gannon’s defense never eclipsed 41 sacks in a single season. In comparison, the Commanders’ defense recorded 42 in 2025, despite not having a single player hit double-digits.

Similarly, the Cardinals produced just 19 takeaways in 2025—which is, of course, nearly double the 10 that Washington did—a three-year high for the unit under Gannon’s direction.

All of this, and more in-depth analysis, led me to conclude that Gannon’s units relied more on the talent on the roster than on the scheme's design to find success, and that the scheme did very little to elevate the given talent.

Clearly, Green Bay sees something different, though with a talent like outside linebacker Micah Parsons, among others, it’s possible the team is looking for someone to simply line the star up where he does his best work and stay out of his way.

The upside Gannon had as a candidate for the Commanders’ job was his level of experience in running his own defense, which would seemingly allow head coach Dan Quinn to remain available for first-year offensive coordinator and play-caller David Blough. Like Gannon, Brian Flores was also a candidate who interviewed for the job with similar, albeit more consistently successful, experience. Flores recently agreed to return to the Minnesota Vikings on a new deal to stay their defensive coordinator, taking him out of the running as well.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The final three candidates

That leaves, as far as is publicly known, a list of remaining candidates that includes Karl Scott (Seattle Seahawks defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator), Al Harris (Chicago Bears defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator), and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as my personal top three.

Scott is coaching in the NFC Championship Game this weekend, and if the Seahawks are eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams, that could accelerate Washington's hiring of its new defensive coordinator. And every time a candidate comes off the board, the public gets just a little more antsy waiting to find out who will run the Commanders’ defense in 2026.