Oftentimes, even the most diehard fans don't know the names of the position coaches by heart. Sometimes that is a good thing, as this familiarity generally comes due to a glaring gap at that given spot. Other times, it is due a meteoric rise up the coaching ranks, such as Jeff Hafley's jump from defensive backs coach, to defensive coordinator, and finally to head coach.
Few coaches, though, get to experience a "Cheers" moment and go to a place where everyone knows their name.
For much of the offseason, the Packers' new defensive coaching staff has been kept under wraps. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon didn't meet with the media until well after last month's NFL Draft. When the leader of the staff doesn't speak to the media, whether by personal choice or organizational decision, it stands to reason that the position coaches would be quiet as well.
That seemed to be the case anyway until Tuesday, when Packers writer Mike Spofford dug in on Wisconsin native Sam Siefkes, the team's new linebackers coach, who has taken a long, winding path to one of the premier teams at the highest level of football.
Introducing new Packers linebackers coach Sam Siefkes
Siefkes has plenty of familiarity with the state's obsession with football. He grew up in Oconomowoc, a suburb of Milwaukee, growing up watching the Packers during the Brett Favre years. He attended Division III Wisconsin- La Crosse, first as a player, before becoming a student assistant coach and then leaving the state for the first time to join Florida International's staff as a defensive/special teams quality control coach.
Siefkes came back home in 2015, joining Dave Aranda's staff at Wisconsin as a graduate assistant for a season, then going back to the Division III level at Wisconsin-Platteville as their defensive coordinator.
He led the Pioneers to a Division III playoff run in 2016, the team's second-ever appearance. After another season of shutdown defense, where his unit recorded three shutouts and gave up less than 20 points per game, Siefkes came back to Division I football at the FCS level with the Wofford Terriers as its new defensive coordinator.
The Terriers' defense was incredible in his two seasons leading the unit. In 2018, they went on to win the Southern Conference Championship when Wofford led the conference in total defense, scoring defense, and both passing and rushing defense. They repeated the same accomplishments in 2019. Siefkes was primed to lead the unit into 2020, but the COVID pandemic caused the Southern Conference to move its 2020 campaign to the spring of 2021.
In that time, Siefkes jumped to the NFL, joining one of the Packers' biggest rivals, becoming a defensive quality control coach with the Minnesota Vikings, before becoming their assistant linebackers coach in 2021. Following the 2022 season, he made another jump, joining the Arizona Cardinals for two seasons, helping their defense become one of the top units in the NFL in 2024.
Ahead of the 2025 season, he earned his biggest job, becoming the defensive coordinator for Virginia Tech, though the team struggled under Brent Pry, before firing him as head coach after just three games. The Hokies finished the season 3-6 over the final part of the season before Jonathan Gannon hired Siefkes, reuniting them together after their time in Arizona.
Looking ahead to 2026
It is hard not to be excited about the Packers' defense, as Green Bay prioritized the unit in the offseason, adding NFL vets Zaire Franklin, Javon Hargrave, and Benjamin St-Juste, along with draft picks Brandon Cisse, Chris McClellan, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Domani Jackson.
Given Siefkes' success with linebackers, the possibilities are endless with Franklin, Edgerrin Cooper, and Ty'Ron Hopper, among others, at the position. A challenge that Siefkes told Spofford he is ready to tackle: "Not all guys learn the same. Coaches don't learn the same, and players don't learn the same. So my job is to cater to all of the players."
Most fans will never reach the NFL, whether it be as a player or coach. Even fewer get to do it for their hometown team. Green Bay has two, with Siefkes joining Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich as Wisconsin natives on the staff.
The man knows what it takes to represent the Packers, telling Spofford, "I don't take it lightly, just to put it pretty bluntly, So every day, I try to have that mindset coming in to work here, that it means something a little bit different for this organization."
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