Packers: 3 long-term Joe Barry replacements Matt LaFleur needs to consider

Vic Fangio

This dream candidate is a man undoubtedly familiar to Packers fans, but he's also probably well-known around the NFL by anyone who has paid attention to the league closely over the last several years. What would make hiring Vic Fangio even sweeter is the fact that he had some success with a division rival in the Chicago Bears.

Some Packers fans were actually surprised the organization didn't hire Fangio in the past, and he was snapped up this past offseason by the Miami Dolphins after working with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 as a consultant. His head coaching tenure with the Denver Broncos didn't exactly go well, but Fangio is one of those veteran guys who just fits better as a defensive coordinator. Like Jim Schwartz of the Cleveland Browns, it's a role he knows best and truly excels at.

But Fangio is a very unrealistic option. The Dolphins are potential Super Bowl contenders in the AFC with the kind of high-powered offense that takes pressure off a defensive coordinator. Green Bay, on the other hand, has a questionable level of talent on the offensive side of the ball and doesn't even look like a threat to contend for the playoffs.

If the Packers are willing to wait to make a move in 2024, though, they could hire an interim defensive coordinator from within and then make a play for Fangio next year. The Packers have clout as one of the NFL's most prestigious organizations. Barry, interestingly enough, is from the Fangio tree of coaching, but, alas, as Bill Belichick can attest, being part of a coaching lineage just isn't the same thing. So if Green Bay can wait a little on canning Barry or deal with an interim situation, Fangio is worth going for as a long-term ploy. But you can't help but feel the Packers missed their chance on this ship in 2023 by not jumping at the chance to hire him when he was available. Miami's win there.