Mike

Pettine

Pettine joined the Vikings a season ago after a one-year stint with the Bears. He had previously been with the Packers as their defensive coordinator, though the team chose to let him walk after three seasons. Pettine would be in charge of turning around one of the league’s worst defenses if he lands the promotion.

Pettine was originally named as a candidate to be their next defensive coordinator but that job was given to Ed Donatell. Pettine will likely be named a senior defensive assistant or something similar once the move is officially announced. The former Browns head coach spent 2021 with the Bears after Green Bay didn’t re-sign him as their defensive coordinator. Pettine has nearly 20 years of coaching experience at the NFL level.

Pettine didn’t exactly earn raves for his work as Packers defensive coordinator from 2018-20, though some of the criticism was unjustified. Emphasis on some, not all. At the very least, Pettine would be an experienced hand for neophyte O’Connell.

Pettine was let go after the Packers’ playoff loss, as Green Bay refused to renew his expiring contract and replaced him with former Rams assistant Joe Barry. 54-year-old Pettine will be an experienced sounding board for fresh DC Sean Desai, who will be calling the defensive plays for the first time in his coaching career after being promoted from safeties coach to replace Chuck Pagano.

It’s a change long overdue after Pettine was (confusingly) kept in the transition from Mike McCarthy to coach Matt LaFleur, then bet on himself by opting to forego an extension ahead of the 2020 season. Pettine’s unit obviously regressed across the board last year, ensuring his own release after he left Green Bay’s defense out to dry with single-high coverage and a robber over the middle of the field as Scotty Miller busted man coverage along the sideline for a 39-yard score prior to the half of the team’s Conference Championship loss in Lambeau. The front office also fired special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga after another underwhelming season of short punt/kick returns.

Pettine was a holdover from Mike McCarthy’s tenure and improved Green Bay’s defensive unit in numerous categories following the offseason additions of free-agent pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Even so, the team finished No. 18 in yards allowed, getting embarrassed in the NFC Championship behind a whopping 285 rushing yards and 37 points permitted. Given the cap space and abundance of draft picks the organization concertedly sunk into that side of the ball at this time last year, 2020 is likely Pettine’s last shot at redemption under coach Matt LaFleur.

LaFleur reportedly wanted to keep Pettine even while he was being interviewed for the head-coaching job. Pettine’s defensive unit started strong out the gates due in part to Josh Jackson’s and Jaire Alexander’s out-of-nowhere production, but the secondary soon fell off as all were in and out of the lineup with injuries to finish the year. Both young corners should start alongside Kevin King in nickel packages in 2019, ensuring stout shutdown coverage if Green Bay can piece together a healthy and impactful defensive line.

It’s not official, but this is the word on the street. Pettine was reportedly “on LaFleur’s list” when he conducted his interview for the Packers’ head-coaching job, which he eventually landed on Monday. Pettine’s unit was tied for eighth in sacks this season but was 29th in DVOA, checking in at No. 28 against the pass and 23rd versus the run. The secondary battled so many injuries, and the Packers eventually ended the season with its entire starting defensive line on I.R.

It’s actually a four-year pact with a “team option” for a fifth. Still, this lengthy a deal for a coach in the NFL is rare. On the heels of firing Rob Chudzinski after one year with the organization, the Browns may be trying to send a message of stability with this contract. The deal could also be a sign of the Browns’ desperation after striking out on several other candidates.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer broke the news, and the Browns confirmed it moments later. “Mike is the epitome of what we want Browns to be,” owner Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “Tough, aggressive and innovative, with a blue-collar, team-first mentality.” Pettine has zero head-coaching experience above the high-school level, but has been an NFL coordinator since 2009. A Rex Ryan product, Pettine oversaw one of the league’s most aggressive, havoc-creating defenses his lone year in Buffalo. He’ll be the Browns’ third head coach since Haslam took control of the team in 2012. Cleveland’s search was messy, and full of public rejection, but they’ve backed into a strong hire. That being said, it’s absolutely critical Pettine makes the right hire at offensive coordinator to oversee the Browns’ broken, in limbo offense.