It took Matt LaFleur only a week to make two of his most important hires as the Packers' new head coach.
The first one he made upon taking the job, when he retained defensive coordinator Mike Pettine from the previous Green Bay staff.
The second one came Monday, when he wrapped up a deal with former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to hold the same position with the Packers. A source confirmed that Hackett and LaFleur had reached agreement, as NFL Network first reported.
The only major coordinator position that remains open is special teams. LaFleur did not retain Ron Zook, who ran that unit under former head coach Mike McCarthy for the last four seasons. Multiple reports have tied the Packers to Dolphins special-teams coach Darren Rizzi, who is in limbo while Miami waits to introduce New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores as its new coach.
Hackett, like LaFleur, is 39 years old and has experience both in the NFL and college. Hackett is perhaps best known for getting the most out of the Jaguars' offense during their 2017 playoff run. They ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring with Blake Bortles at quarterback and had the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense on their way to the AFC Championship Game. But Hackett was fired in November by his longtime boss, head coach Doug Marrone (who also employed Hackett both with the Buffalo Bills and at Syracuse University), after the Jaguars' offense struggled to 21st in the NFL and 28th in points at the time of the move.
Hackett was one of two offensive coordinator candidates LaFleur had eyed. The other was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who interviewed for the Packers' head-coaching job. Monken was hired over the weekend as the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator. LaFleur was unable to get permission to interview his younger brother, Mike, or fellow 49ers assistant coach Mike McDaniel for the job. Mike LaFleur serves as head coach Kyle Shanahan's passing game coordinator, while McDaniel is in charge of San Francisco's run game.
In addition to Pettine, LaFleur also will retain defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio from McCarthy's staff. It's unclear exactly what their titles will be.
