Jonathan Gannon lands NFL defensive coordinator job

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has quickly landed on his feet after his firing.

Gannon has agreed to become the new defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, according to multiple reports. Gannon replaces Jeff Hafley, who left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

The Packers moved quickly to hire Gannon, even though they were also strongly linked to Denver Broncos assistant Jim Leonhard. Gannon was previously the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles when they lost Super Bowl LVII, then spent three seasons in charge of the Cardinals. He went 15-36 in his three seasons as a head coach.

Gannon will be tasked with maintaining a Packers defense that performed well last year, particularly before Micah Parsons’ season-ending injury. Parsons hopes to be back early next season, which would hugely benefit the new defensive coordinator.

On the other hand, Gannon did not have a lot of success in Arizona and did not exactly handle losing well. Still, he was highly regarded by Philadelphia, and the Packers are betting they will get that version of Gannon again.