Packers ‘in talks’ to hire Rich Bisaccia as special teams coordinator
It’s one thing for the Green Bay Packers to say they will be better on special teams, but it’s another to be bold in the offseason to make it happen.
Well, it looks like the Packers are ready to show their willingness to prioritize fixing this side of the ball.
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers are “in talks” with Las Vegas Raiders special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia.
Silverstein wrote that this seems to show the Packers are “serious about hiring a veteran special teams coach and paying a lot for him”.
Well, this would be quite the move by head coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers. A year ago, LaFleur promoted Maurice Drayton in the hope he would help turn things around on special teams. To now go out and hire one of the most experienced special teams coaches in the league would be exactly the type of aggressive move they need to make.
This season, Bisaccia was named the Raiders’ interim head coach after the team fired Jon Gruden. Under Bisaccia, the Raiders went 7-5 and secured a playoff berth.
All we’ve heard over the past few months is how much the players loved Bisaccia.
I won’t pretend to know the first thing about special teams coaching, but you saw the culture Rich Bisaccia brought to the Raiders.
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) February 5, 2022
He was able to steady a sinking ship. The players absolutely loved him. That alone would make him a great hire for the Packers.
Beyond that, he is more than qualified for the job. Bisaccia has coached special teams throughout his career and has been a special teams coordinator in the NFL for the past 20 years. If there’s someone who knows what it takes to turn Green Bay’s special teams unit around, it’s Bisaccia.
The Raiders were No. 11 in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings this season. The Packers were No. 32.
Hiring Bisaccia would likely cost the Packers a lot of money, and they could face competition from other teams. But if they can get this deal done, it would be the perfect start to an uncertain offseason.
With Bisaccia, the Packers would be hiring an experienced, respected coach, who would undoubtedly help this special teams unit improve.