The Green Bay Packers have named Jonathan Gannon defensive coordinator. Head Coach Matt LaFleur made the announcement Monday.
"We are thrilled to add Jonathan Gannon to our coaching staff. He possesses tremendous experience as an NFL coordinator and head coach," added LaFleur, "I am confident that he will be an outstanding addition to our organization, as well as a strong leader of our defense. We welcome Jonathan, his wife, Gina, and their three children, Rocco, Lola and Angelo, to the Packers and the Green Bay community."
Gannon comes to the Packers after serving as the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals for the past three seasons (2023-25), helping Arizona rank No. 2 in the NFL over that span in yards per carry (4.92) and No. 9 in rushing offense (125.5 ypg). He guided the Cardinals to eight wins in 2024, double the team's win total from 2023 despite playing nine games against playoff teams in '24. Over the final 11 games in 2024, Arizona ranked No. 4 in the NFL in points allowed per game (19.6) and No. 6 in total defense (325.7 ypg), allowing the fewest total TDs (20) and the fewest passing TDs (10) in the NFL over that span. Gannon joined Arizona after spending two seasons (2021-22) as the defensive coordinator with Philadelphia, where he helped the Eagles advance to Super Bowl LVII. He has 18 years of experience in the NFL with the Cardinals, Eagles, Indianapolis Colts (2018-20), Minnesota Vikings (2014-17), Tennessee Titans (2012-13), St. Louis Rams (2009-11) and Atlanta Falcons (2007).
In both of Gannon's two seasons as defensive coordinator for Philadelphia, the Eagles had a top-10 defense, ranking No. 2 in the league in total defense in 2022 (301.5 ypg) and No. 10 in 2021 (328.8 ypg). In 2022, the Eagles also featured the NFL's top-ranked passing defense (179.8 ypg) and the No. 8-ranked scoring defense (20.2 ppg). In 2021-22, Philadelphia ranked No. 3 in total defense (315.1 ypg) and passing defense (200.4 ypg), No. 1 in sacks (99), No. 6 in tackles for a loss (168) and tied for No. 3 in defensive TDs (seven) and INT return TDs (four). In those two seasons, four different Eagles players combined for five Pro Bowl selections (Darius Slay, two; Haason Reddick, one; Javon Hargrave, one; Josh Sweat, one). Reddick, Hargrave and Sweat all earned their first career Pro Bowl selections playing in Gannon's defense, while Reddick and CB James Bradberry both earned second-team All-Pro recognition in 2022.
Philadelphia led the NFL with a team-record 70 sacks in 2022 and was tied for No. 4 in the NFL in takeaways (27) and INTs (17). The Eagles became the first team in league history to have four different players register 10-plus sacks in a single season, and their 70 sacks were the most by a team since the 1989 Minnesota Vikings (71). With eight additional sacks in the postseason, the Eagles' 78 total sacks in 2022 were the third most in NFL history behind only the 1984 (82 sacks) and 1985 Chicago Bears (80 sacks).
Prior to working with the Cardinals and Eagles, Gannon was the defensive backs/cornerbacks coach with the Colts (2018-20), helping Indianapolis rank in the top 10 in the NFL in takeaways and INTs in all three of those seasons. He served as assistant defensive backs coach/quality control with the Vikings (2014-17), helping Minnesota rank No. 3 in the NFL over that span in total defense (319.9 ypg), scoring defense (18.8 ppg) and passing defense (214.6 ypg). Gannon worked as a defensive assistant/quality control with the Tennessee Titans (2012-13) and spent three seasons (2009-11) as a scout with the Rams after beginning his NFL coaching career as a defensive assistant/quality control with the Falcons in 2007. Gannon played safety at Louisville and appeared in nine games as a redshirt freshman in 2002 before suffering a career-ending hip injury in his first career start at Cincinnati. Following the injury, he worked as a student assistant at Louisville for three seasons (2003-05) and one season as a graduate assistant (2006).
