Entering his ninth season as a coach in the NFL, John Dunn begins his fifth season with the Packers and fourth as tight ends coach after being promoted on Feb. 5, 2022. Dunn served as a senior analyst in Green Bay in 2021 after being hired on March 1, 2021, by Head Coach Matt LaFleur. Dunn is entering his 22nd season of coaching in college or the NFL.
Since taking over as tight ends coach in 2022, Dunn has helped Green Bay's tight ends rank No. 3 in the league over that span in yards after the catch per reception (5.9 avg.), No. 4 in reception percentage (76.2) and No. 10 in yards per catch (10.5 avg.). Dunn helped TE Tucker Kraft become just the fourth TE since 2000 to post 80-plus catches, 1,000-plus receiving yards, nine-plus receiving TDs and an average of 13.0-plus yards per catch in his first two NFL seasons, joining Mark Andrews (2018-19), Hunter Henry (2016-17) and Rob Gronkowski (2010-11).
Dunn mentored Kraft in 2024 as he was one of only two TEs in the league (George Kittle) to post 50-plus receptions (50), 700-plus receiving yards (707), seven-plus receiving TDs (seven) and an average of 14.0-plus yards per catch (14.1), just the second Green Bay TE since the 1970 merger to hit those marks in a season (Paul Coffman, 1983). Among tight ends, Kraft ranked No. 2 in the NFL in yards per catch, tied for No. 4 in TD catches and No. 5 in yards after the catch (456), and among all players with 50-plus targets, ranked No. 6 in the NFL in passer rating when targeted (131.1). Per TruMedia, he ranked No. 1 in the league among TEs in yards after the catch per reception (9.1), the second-best single-season mark by an NFL tight end dating back to 2000 behind only Kittle (9.9) in 2018.
In 2023, Dunn helped guide Kraft (31-355-2) and Luke Musgrave (34-352-1) as they became only the second rookie TE duo since the 1970 merger to both post 30-plus receptions, 350-plus receiving yards and a receiving TD (Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez with New England, 2010). Despite missing six games due to injury, Musgrave tied Bubba Franks' team record for the most catches by a rookie TE with 34, and Musgrave's 352 receiving yards were the third most by a Green Bay rookie behind only Franks (363 in 2000) and Kraft (355 in 2023). Kraft's 31 catches on the season were the third most in team history by a rookie TE behind only Franks and Musgrave, and among TEs with 20-plus catches in 2023, Kraft led all rookies and ranked No. 8 among all tight ends in yards per catch (11.5 avg.). Dunn also tutored rookie TE Ben Sims, who played in all 17 games and posted a TD reception as the Packers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to feature three rookie TEs with at least one TD catch.
In 2022, Dunn worked with TE Robert Tonyan, who posted a career-best 53 receptions to mark the second 50-plus-catch season of his career (52 in 2020) as he tied Coffman for the second most by a Packer tight end (Jermichael Finley, three). Among tight ends, Tonyan ranked No. 4 in the NFL with a 79.1 reception percentage in 2022.
In Dunn's first season with the Packers in 2021, he focused primarily on defensive self-scouting while working closely with defensive coordinator Joe Barry and the inside linebackers. The defense ranked in the top 10 in the league in total defense (No. 9, 328.2 ypg), passing defense (No. 10, 219.1 ypg), interceptions (t-No. 6, 18), takeaways (t-No. 8, 26) and defensive penalties (No. 5, 28).
In 2020 with the Jets, Dunn mentored TE Chris Herndon as he returned from an injury-laden 2019 season to finish No. 3 on the team in receptions (31) and tied for No. 2 in receiving TDs (three). In Dunn's first season with New York in 2019, TE Ryan Griffin, signed by the Jets before training camp, stepped up in Herndon's absence to post 34 catches for 320 yards (9.4 avg.) and a career-best five TDs. Griffin's five scores tied for No. 3 among AFC tight ends and made him the eighth TE in franchise history to post five-plus receiving TDs in a season.
Prior to joining the Jets, Dunn served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Connecticut in 2018. Dunn oversaw an offense that produced two 1,000-yard rushers as RB Kevin Mensah (1,045 yards) became the first UConn RB to surpass 1,000 yards rushing since 2011 and QB David Pindell (1,139 yards) established a school rushing record among quarterbacks. Pindell earned first-team All-New England honors from the New England Football Writers for his efforts.
Dunn gained his first NFL experience in two seasons with the Chicago Bears, first as a football assistant (2016) and then as an offensive assistant (2017). During his time with the Bears, Dunn worked with wide receivers and quarterbacks while also helping install offensive-line protections each week. With Dunn's help in 2017, QB Mitchell Trubisky set franchise rookie records with 196 completions and 2,193 passing yards in just 12 starts.
Before entering the NFL as a coach, Dunn spent five seasons (2011-15) at the University of Maryland as the school's tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator. While with the Terrapins, Dunn helped the team finish No. 9 nationally in red-zone scoring percentage (.914) during the 2014 season.
Before his time at Maryland, Dunn worked three seasons (2008-10) at LSU, serving as an offensive graduate assistant from 2008-09 and as an offensive intern in 2010. Dunn helped coach the offensive line and quarterbacks while holding primary responsibility for the assimilation of the playbook and all computer drawings, practice scripts and game plans.
Dunn gained his first coaching experience at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, working as a student assistant (2004), offensive quality control coach (2005) and offensive graduate assistant (2006-07) for the Tar Heels. In 2007, he helped WR Hakeem Nicks earn first-team All- Atlantic Coast Conference honors after setting a single- season school record with 74 receptions for 958 yards (12.9 avg.) and five TDs.
Dunn was a walk-on at North Carolina from 2001-03, playing quarterback and tight end before a neck injury ended his career. He graduated from the school with a degree in exercise sport science.
Dunn was born Aug. 7, 1983, in Shelby, N.C. He and his wife, Lindsay, live in Hobart, Wis., with their son, Carter, and daughter, Emerson.
