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Rodgers has been Todd Bowles’ right-hand man for a decade.
One of the most disappointing position groups for the Green Bay Packers in 2024 was their defensive line. That unit was widely expected to be a strength for the team, particularly amid the switch to a 4-3 base with Jeff Hafley’s arrival as the new defensive coordinator. Although the team did improve its run defense over previous years, the front four struggled to pressure quarterbacks consistently on a week-to-week basis.
That led to the first departure on Matt LaFleur’s coaching staff, as the Packers’ head coach relieved defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich of his duties shortly after the team’s 2024 season came to an end.
On Tuesday, the first report of a candidate for the vacancy has arrived, and the individual brings a wealth of experience on his résumé. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Kacy Rodgers is interviewing today with the Packers for the position.
According to Rapoport, Rodgers’ contract has expired and he is expected to have a strong market for his services. It is intriguing to note that he is interviewing outside the Buccaneers organization, as that would have him working for someone other than Todd Bowles for the first time in a decade.
At the start of Bowles’ first head coaching tenure — when he coached the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018 — he hired Rodgers to be his defensive coordinator. After the Jets let Bowles go in early 2019, Rodgers then followed him to Tampa Bay. In Tampa, Rodgers served as defensive line coach when Bowles was defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians, then added run game coordinator duties in 2022 when Bowles took over the head coaching role.
The Buccaneers have had an excellent defensive front throughout Rodgers’ tenure with the team, as he has helped develop players like Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey into high-caliber players. Tampa Bay also allowed less than four yards per carry on average in three of Rodgers’ six years with the team. Additionally, he was instrumental in helping Leonard Williams, the Jets’ 6th overall draft pick in 2015, become a major playmaker and a Pro Bowler in his second season.
Prior to his hiring with the Jets, Rodgers spent 12 years as an NFL defensive line coach, working for both the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. In total, he has 22 years of NFL coaching experience, all of it spent working with defensive lines. With the exception of longtime quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who is retiring this offseason, that type of experience is something that the Packers have rarely had in position coach roles under LaFleur.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Packers’ search for a new defensive line coach.
