Jim Leonhard eventually entered the NFL three years after the Green Bay Packers extended an opportunity to him to serve as their defensive coordinator.
Jim Leonhard was formally hired by the Denver Broncos on Wednesday to serve as their new defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. After Christian Parker departed the team to take a position as defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, Leonhard took over. The Green Bay Packers interviewed Parker as one of the contenders for defensive coordinator this offseason.’
In the state of Wisconsin, Leonhard’s name is well-known for two reasons. He was the team’s defensive coordinator, interim head coach, and coach of the defensive backs from 2016 to 2022. He is, first and foremost, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
In 2021, Leonhard allegedly declined the position of defensive coordinator for the Packers, which ultimately went to Joe Barry, who was just dismissed. According to reports, head coach Matt LaFleur considered Barry and Ejiro Evero as close runners-up for the position, with Leonhard being his first pick.
Many anticipated that Leonhard would be given another chance to interview with Green Bay when the position of defensive coordinator became available again this offseason. Nobody has yet to come forward and claim that these conversations ever happened.
Did LaFleur lose his temper with Leonhard when the latter rejected him back in 2021? There is still no hint at all. We do know, though, that Leonhard most likely did not reject down Green Bay a second time because the position of defensive coordinator for the Packers is a more sought-after position than the defensive backs coach position with the Broncos.
The Packers focused on Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley, a single-high 4-3 defensive coordinator, rather than Leonhard. Hafley previously worked with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan during two stints in the NFL.
This is significant because, after the team’s Super Bowl defeat, Shanahan’s 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. In a different scenario, Leonhard might serve as the defensive coordinator for the Packers while Hafley is expected to join San Francisco. LaFleur outwitted Shanahan in this particular instance.
