After an ugly start to the 2023 NFL regular season, following the blockbuster trade to send superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers looked like a team destined for a disappointing end to the season.
Fortunately, Jordan Love started to show why the team had so much faith in him, and the Packers were able to turn things around in the second half of the regular season, resulting in the team clinching a playoff spot.
As if making the playoffs wasn’t impressive enough after such a bad start to the season, the Packers took it to another level in the postseason by crushing the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys in the first round and giving the San Francisco 49ers all they could handle in the Divisional Round.
Unfortunately, the ride had to come to an end at some point for Green Bay, as Brock Purdy and company advanced and knocked Matt LaFleur’s squad out of the playoffs.
Heading into the NFL offseason, the Packers didn’t wait long to make a decision on defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s future, as they parted ways with him shortly after being knocked out of the postseason, leading to LaFleur giving this explanation as to why the move was made via Pro Football Talk.
“There’s a lot of thought and deliberation that goes into that,” LaFleur said. “You guys know how I feel about Joe Barry. I’m so thankful for our time together.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur says firing defensive coordinator Joe Barry was tough, but “I think as a head football coach, sometimes you’ve got to make some tough decisions.” https://t.co/UyqX5GN0M4
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 24, 2024
Obviously, the team felt as if the defense was a weakness for them during the 2023 campaign and something that needed to change in order for Green Bay to get closer to becoming a contender in the NFC.
It’ll be interesting to see how the move impacts the team moving forward and how good this Packers team can be next season.
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