Looking for a defensive coordinator to replace the departed Jeff Hafley, the Packers could turn to one of their former players. They’ve completed an interview with Bears defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Al Harris, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Harris, a former cornerback, spent a large chunk of his playing career in Green Bay. A Packer from 2003-10, Harris piled up 14 interceptions and earned two Pro Bowl nods in their uniform. He’s now a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.
After wrapping up his career with the Rams in 2011, Harris jumped into coaching as an intern with the Dolphins.
Since he got his feet wet for a year in Miami, Harris has coached defensive backs with the Chiefs, Cowboys and Bears. Harris doesn’t have any experience as a coordinator, but he has learned from the likes of Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn and Dennis Allen.
In 2025, his first season in Chicago, Harris helped guide a turnover-happy defense that led the league with 23 interceptions. The Bears pulled that off despite going without two high-end corners, the injured duo of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, for significant periods. Johnson missed 10 games, and Gordon sat out 14. The Bears nonetheless finished 11-6 and won the NFC North before knocking the archrival Packers out of the wild-card round with a 31-27 comeback victory.
After dropping a nail-biter to the Rams in the divisional round, the Bears could lose Harris to the Packers. The 51-year-old joins former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones and Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker as early candidates to succeed Hafley. After two years running the Packers’ defense, Hafley left to become the Dolphins’ head coach on Monday.
In Hafley’s last year in Green Bay, the team ranked a solid 11th in points allowed and 12th in yards. The Packers’ defense likely would have enjoyed more success had the unit’s best player, superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons, not gone down with a torn ACL in Week 15. The rehab process is expected to sideline Parsons for the start of 2026, but he’s optimistic he’ll return by Week 4.
Fond memories of him as a Seahawks fan. I know he had the pick-six in the We’re Gonna Score Game, but that was probably the best feeling after a playoff loss I’ll ever have. Signaled big things ahead, and a Super Bowl loss was indeed the result next year :/
Good luck, Al.
And he could play CB; he’s better now than anyone on the roster.
If he’s the Packers defensive coordinator, I have no doubt he’ll scheme well for the secondary and get the most out of the corners and safeties.
What I want to know is how he would do in actually figuring out which packages to use at what times. I hope he’s learned the whole package of being a defensive coordinator and not just the secondary’s role. I’d love to have him back in Green Bay if he can make the total defense adjustment as a coach.
Love this
Hilarious to see on social media all the bear fans saying “Packers trying to be the bears” without realizing that Harris is a Packer HOF’er.
Geez….
Al Harris was an Andy Reid era Eagle for a while. He was always good for a stupid penalty after a big third down stop. I wish him well.