One less name for Cleveland Browns head coaching search as the NFL coaching carousel spins
On Monday evening, as the Indiana Hoosiers were winning their first-ever National Championship in the sport of football, the Cleveland Browns may be thinking about righting a past wrong, and two NFL clubs hired their new coaches: San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh with the Tennessee Titans, not yet official, and the Miami Dolphins decided to ink Green Bay Packers DC Jeff Hafley.
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Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross released this statement:
“I believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff Hafley leading the way. Jeff is an accomplished coach with a proven track record as a leader and motivator. He has tenacity and grit, while at the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get the most out of them.”
Hafley was signed to the standard five-year coaching deal with the amount per year undisclosed, as usual with coaches’ salaries.
Hafley, age 46, was on the short list of quite a few NFL clubs that had dismissed their head coach. The Browns had him on their radar as a candidate because of his defensive abilities and had been their defensive back coach from 2014 to 2015 under head coach Mike Pettine.
Hafley was the head coach of Boston College from 2020 to 2023 before the Packers hired him in 2024 to lead their defense. At Boston College, he was 22-26-0. Hafley’s teams were ranked #5 in his first NFL season with Green Bay, and #12 overall this past season. His teams have plenty of sacks and get constant pressure on the offensive backfield on passing downs.
His name began to surface as a prospect for the Browns this past Saturday night in the first round of interview requests. According to one report, Cleveland had an interview with him last week. The team did not confirm an interview with Hafley, however, like they have every other known candidate.
The Browns might have been interested; however, Miami made him an offer on Monday after a second meeting with the talented, defensive-minded coach, and did not allow him to leave without his signature on a contract.
Hafley joins new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, who had been with the Packers since 2004.
Unlike Hafley, Saleh was not connected to the Browns coaching search this time around, except for being someone many were interested in bringing in, but he did interview with Cleveland back in 2020 when Kevin Stefanski was hired.
No word on who the Browns will hire, but the odds-on favorite is DC Jim Schwartz.
Category: General Sports
