Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley didn't just leave the Green Bay Packers this offseason. He took the Green Bay Packers with him on the way out.
Hafley was notably brought in to usher in the next era of Dolphins football alongside another ex-Packer, Miami's new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan. Together, they've successfully recruited six former Green Bay coaches to South Beach, plus quarterback Malik Willis and safety Zayne Anderson.
Thus, "Packers South" was born — and Hafley has no shame about it, either.
Even Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is in on the bit. He poked at Hafley for ransacking Green Bay's staff when leaving for Miami at the 2026 NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. However, there's nothing but respect between them.
During a recent appearance on Up & Adams, Hafley almost wore the "Packers South" moniker as a badge of honor:
"I'm good with that," Hafley stated. "If that's what [LaFleur] wants to call it, he can call it Packers South."
Jeff Hafley takes no offense to Matt LaFleur calling the Dolphins 'Packers South'
The best way to settle into a fresh environment is to bring things that make you feel at home. So, Hafley took that literally and reeled in several Packers colleagues from his two-year stint as their defensive coordinator. He has no shortage of familiar faces in Miami, thanks to his boss of the past two seasons, LaFleur.
This isn't the first time we've seen teams try to replicate a rival squad's strategy, and it certainly won't be the last. It's a copycat league, as the saying goes. That's why there's no hard feelings between LaFleur and Hafley, as evidenced by the latter still speaking glowingly of the former:
"There's no feisty with me and Matt [LaFleur]," Hafley stated. "... I love Matt. I'm grateful that he offered me the job when I was a college head coach. I took it, and two years later, I got to be [the Dolphins'] head coach. I enjoyed my time with him. He's a great coach, and he's a great friend and he's a great person."
Yet, the competitor in Hafley isn't letting the affinity for Green Bay and their leader stop him from wanting to crush the Packers. He made it clear that Miami's visit to Titletown in 2026 is marked on his calendar. Nevertheless, given the overlap, the only thing separating these two clubs on gameday might be their uniforms.