There were plenty of notable takeaways from Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's media availability at the 2026 NFL Annual Meeting. However, his eye-opening comments on former assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia's departure may top the list.
The details behind Bisaccia's decision to step down from his post in Green Bay in February have mostly been a mystery to date. Considering how abruptly he left, it's hard not to wonder whether there was a fallout that ended with the two sides going their separate ways. LaFleur managed to raise Packers fans' suspicions during the league's yearly gathering of owners, executives and coaches.
LaFleur told reporters that Bisaccia provided a list of recommendations for the Packers' next special teams coordinator, which included recently hired Cam Achord, after resigning. Aside from that, though, they never discussed the latter's sudden choice to leave Green Bay this offseason, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic:
"Never had that direct conversation with [Bisaccia], but he came in to me after we got back and just was hoping that he'd have a different feeling," LaFleur stated.
Matt LaFleur heightens Packers fans' suspicions about Rich Bisaccia's strange departure
Why there was no attempt to reconcile the differences between LaFleur and one of his top lieutenants with a conversation is anyone's guess. It seems as though there's more to the situation than he's letting on. Nevertheless, the 46-year-old and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst were apparently "surprised" to see Bisaccia walk away.
While LaFleur didn't want to put words in anyone's mouth, he believes Bisaccia moved on from his gig in Green Bay for non-football reasons.
"[Bisaccia's] done it for a long time, and I don’t wanna speak for him, but I think a lot of it has to do with getting closer back to home, his home base," LaFleur said. "Obviously, his family's very important to him, and he's got ties down in Florida, so I think that was a big reason as to why."
Wanting to be closer to your loved ones and stomping grounds are more than valid reasons for wanting to quit a job. There's no denying that. Yet, LaFleur's logic (kind of) went out the window roughly two weeks later; Bisaccia landed another opportunity at Clemson.
Bisaccia is assuming the same role he did for the Packers at Clemson, where he previously worked for five seasons from 1994 through 1998.