GREEN BAY – Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur has hired Cameron Achord as his new special teams coordinator to replace Rich Bisaccia, who stepped down from the position two weeks ago.
Here are five things to know about Achord:
- He's been a successful special teams coordinator in the past.
Achord coordinated New England's special teams for four seasons, from 2020-23, earning a promotion from Bill Belichick after two years as the Patriots' special teams assistant. Achord had been working under coordinator Joe Judge until Judge became the head coach of the New York Giants.
In Achord's first season as coordinator, the Patriots finished first in veteran sportswriter Rick Gosselin's annual special teams rankings, largely on the strength of leading the league in punt-return average and in net punting.
Over the next three years, the Patriots fell to the middle of the pack in Gosselin's rankings overall, but their punt return remained among the league's better units.
- His most recent job was with the Giants.
Achord, who wasn't retained in New England when Jerod Mayo took over as head coach in 2024, served as New York's assistant special teams coach the past two seasons under coordinator Michael Ghobrial.
Neither Ghobrial nor Achord stayed with the Giants when John Harbaugh became their new head coach in January. Ghobrial was hired as the special teams coordinator by new Arizona head coach Mike LaFleur, younger brother of Green Bay's Matt.
- Belichick originally hired Achord out of the college ranks.
Achord began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2010 at Southern Miss, working first on special teams and then on the offensive side of the ball in his third season.
From there, he spent five years in a multi-faceted role at Southwest Mississippi Community College that included coordinating both the offense and special teams, coaching multiple offensive positions (quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends), and ultimately serving as interim head coach.
He was set to take over the program when he got the opportunity to join the Patriots via previous ties to Judge.
- He grew up and got his education in Mississippi.
A native of Brookhaven, Miss., who graduated from Brookhaven Academy, the 39-year-old earned degrees in computer information science and sports administration from Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss., and then a master's degree in sports management from Southern Miss.
- He played safety as an NAIA college player with a teammate who went pro.
At Belhaven, Achord was a four-year starter at free safety, serving as team captain in the 2008-09 seasons, when he recorded a total of five interceptions.
He was also a two-time NAIA Academic All-American and an all-Mid-South Conference selection in '09, when he shared a defensive backfield with cornerback Tramaine Brock, who entered the NFL undrafted and went on to an 11-year career with six different teams.
