Packers set to hire former Patriots defensive coordinator
Matt LaFleur and Jeff Hafley bring in DeMarcus Covington as their defensive line coach.
By Jaren KawadaJan 30, 2025 at 1:08 PM ET
The Green Bay Packers are determined to make changes entering the 2025 offseason. Just weeks after the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, Matt LaFleur scooped up the team's former defensive coordinator, DeMarcus Covington, in the aftermath.
LaFleur will hire Covington as the Packers' defensive line coach, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky. The two sides have verbally agreed to the deal, but as of Thursday morning, no contract has been signed.
After seven years in various roles with the Patriots, Covington was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. In his lone year in the position, New England took a step back defensively, ranking in the bottom half in points and total yards allowed.
Covington joined the Patriots in 2017 after spending the previous season as the co-defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois. He began his tenure as a defensive assistant for two years before serving as the outside linebackers coach in 2019. He shifted to defensive line coach in 2020, where he would remain through the 2023 season.
Following Jerod Mayo's firing at the end of the 2024 season, Vrabel opted not to retain Covington on his staff. This made him temporarily available before LaFleur hired him to work on Jeff Hafley's defensive personnel.
Demovsky also noted that LaFleur will promote former offensive assistant Sean Mannion to quarterbacks coach. Mannion, a decade-long backup quarterback in the NFL, retired from professional football in 2024 and transitioned to coaching.
Once hired, Covington will replace Jason Rebrovich as the Packers' defensive line coach. Rebrovich held the job for one season and was fired after Green Bay's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round.
In Rebrovich's lone season as the defensive line coach, the Packers recorded 45 sacks, 10th in the league. They also limited opponents to just 4.0 yards per carry, the third-best in the NFL. However, they ended the year on a sour note, as Eagles running back Saquon Barkley torched them with 119 rushing yards in the Wild Card game.
So far, Rebrovich is the only major assistant coach to leave the team in the 2025 offseason, although they were unable to retain former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh in a full-time role. Saleh spent most of 2024 as an offensive consultant with Green Bay after his surprising firing. He was re-hired by Kyle Shanahan on Jan. 24 to return as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator.
However, linebackers coach Anthony Campanile recently interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars' vacant defensive coordinator role and is reportedly a preferred candidate. His potential departure would create another significant opening in Hafley's defensive staff.