Jeff Hafley has enjoyed a long coaching career stretching nearly a quarter-century, and now he will get the chance to lead the Miami Dolphins. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the Dolphins have decided to appoint Hafley as the successor to Mike McDaniel following an impressive stint as the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.
Hafley’s rise to head coach of a marquee NFL franchise has seen him work in a variety of roles at both the college and NFL levels, with the Dolphins hoping his experience can help lead them back to prominence after more than 25 years without a playoff win.
Looking at Jeff Hafley’s Coaching Career
Hafley spent 11 years as a collegiate assistant before making the jump to the NFL. He was a running backs coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2001 and later worked with defensive backs at Albany, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers.
His success during his lone season at Rutgers in 2011, when the Scarlet Knights went 9-4 under Greg Schiano, led Hafley to follow Schiano to Tampa Bay after Schiano was hired as head coach of the Buccaneers.
Hafley served as the assistant defensive backs coach for the Buccaneers in 2012 and was promoted to defensive backs coach in 2013. The Bucs ranked fourth in interceptions (39) over those two seasons, ensuring that while Schiano’s time in the NFL ended after two losing campaigns, Hafley was able to find additional work at the professional level.
The Cleveland Browns hired Hafley to coach their defensive backs in 2014 and quickly saw results. Cleveland finished the 2014 season No. 1 in the NFL in opponent passer rating (74.1) and completion percentage (57.1). The Browns also ended the year with 21 interceptions, the second most in the league.
A 3-13 season in 2015 led to staff changes in Cleveland and a change of scenery for Hafley, who joined the San Francisco 49ers and survived a coaching change after their 2-14 campaign in 2016. Retained by Kyle Shanahan, Hafley impressed as defensive backs coach in 2018, with a 49ers team that won only four games, ranking 11th in passing defense.
Hafley returned to the college ranks in 2019 at Ohio State, spending one season as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. That year, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title, and the defense finished first nationally in yards per play (4.13), total defense (259.7 yards per game), passing defense (156.0 ypg), and sacks (54).
He parlayed that success into his first head coaching opportunity at Boston College, where Hafley had just one losing season.
Hafley’s status as one of the premier coaching candidates in this cycle was solidified in Green Bay, where he served as the Packers’ defensive coordinator for two seasons after leaving Boston College.
In 2024, the Packers ranked in the top 10 in total defense (No. 5, 314.5 ypg), run defense (No. 7, 99.4 ypg), scoring defense (No. 6, 19.9 points per game), yards allowed per play (No. 5, 5.16), takeaways (No. 4, 31), and sacks (tied for No. 8, 45).
That marked the first time since 1996 that Green Bay finished a season in the top 10 in each of those categories. Unlike the 1996 season, however, the Packers did not lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay’s defensive performance under Hafley last season raised hopes that 2025 could be the Packers’ year. The team ranked sixth in sack rate but finished the regular season 17th in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric, with a season-ending injury to Micah Parsons limiting Green Bay’s effectiveness down the stretch and contributing to its wild-card round collapse against the Chicago Bears.
After seeing early promise under the offensive-minded McDaniel fade, the Dolphins will hope Hafley’s defensive acumen can put them back on the road toward sustained success.
