Special Team Search Continues

Luke Getsy returns

Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur interviewed sought after Miami Dolphins Special Teams coach Darren Rizzi last week but Rizzi has apparently told LaFleur "Thanks, but no thanks."

He left Green Bay without a contract and will reportedly seek offers from other teams after financial considerations could not be worked out. 

Rizzi has coached consistently strong special team units in Miami and is being courted by several teams putting new coaching staffs together.

The Packers may have balked at his asking price because aside from former Head Coach Mike McCarthy, due over 8 million dollars in 2019, several of his former assistants who will not be retained, are still under contract for this season and unless they acquire jobs with other teams, the Packers will have to foot their salaries as well.

Case in point, tight ends coach Brian Angelichio.  He was expected to be retained but will be let go instead as LaFleur has hired Justin Outten to coach his tight ends.   Outten had been an offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons the past two years, working with LaFleur in 2016.  Just three years ago, the former Syracuse center was a High School coach.

Luke Getsy is indeed coming back to the Pack.  The former offensive assistant and wide receivers coach under McCarthy for four years, left to become the offensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2018.   Getsy will be LaFleur's quarterbacks coach, working directly with Aaron Rodgers in his second go-round with the team.

Getsy was very popular with the receivers in 2016 and 2017 and also drew praise from Rodgers.    He brought several innovative drills to the practice field including the juggling of tennis balls or having receivers catch tennis balls with one hand after bouncing them off walls.  He also used a lift ladder to drop footballs straight down to receivers or have his players lie on their backs and catch hard thrown passes at odd angles.

Positions that still need filling on LaFleur's first staff include an assistant offensive line coach working under Adam Stenavich, the Marshfield native hired last week.   It's unclear yet if running backs coach Ben Sirmans will be brought back.

On defense, LaFleur needs to fill openings for linebackers and the secondary.