The calls are starting to come in for Jeff Hafley. On Thursday, news broke that the Green Bay Packers received their first request to interview Hafley for an NFL head coaching job, as the Tennessee Titans
plan to consider the current Packers defensive coordinator for their open position.
Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the news, noting that the Titans are also requesting interviews with San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Interestingly, all three men have been head coaches at previous points in their careers; Saleh and Smith coached the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, respectively, while Hafley was in charge at Boston College prior to arriving in Green Bay for the 2024 season.
Tennessee fired head coach Brian Callahan early in the 2025 season following a 1-5 start, making former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy their interim coach. The team held the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, when they selected quarterback Cam Ward, and they will head into 2026 holding the #4 pick after finishing 3-14.
Hafley is expected to draw multiple interviews during this year’s hiring cycle, with the New York Giants also widely expected to come calling. His hometown of Montvale, New Jersey, is only about 20 miles north of the Giants’ team facilities in East Rutherford. However, reports suggest that the Giants are heavily interested in former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was fired earlier this week. So far, there have been no reports of the Giants reaching out to the Packers with an interview request for Hafley, though this could come at any time.
Notably, Hafley is barred from interviewing for other jobs this week due to the Packers participating in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Assistant coaches on teams playing on Wild Card weekend cannot interview until the following Tuesday, meaning Hafley’s focus can remain on preparing his unit to face the Chicago Bears on Saturday evening. However, even if the Packers win and advance to next week’s Divisional round, Hafley will surely have his interview with the Titans next week.
