Updated Jan. 23, 2026, 7:55 p.m. CT
As the Green Bay Packers continue their search for a new defensive coordinator, two former players are making their endorsements known.
One-time teammates, Mike Daniels and Vince Biegel, took to social media this week to back two people that would be popular with fans.
Daniels, a former Pro Bowl defensive tackle who played seven years in Green Bay from 2012-18, supports former Packers cornerback Al Harris.
“Do it,” Daniels wrote on X in response to a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter noting that the Packers were interviewing Harris on Jan. 21.
Biegel, a Wisconsin native who attended Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids before starring at the University of Wisconsin and then was drafted by the Packers in 2017, wants Green Bay to go get former Badgers star and coach Jim Leonhard.
Biegel wrote: “Hire this man as the next defensive coordinator for the Packers,” along with a photo of Leonhard from his days coaching the Badgers.
Harris is looking for his first defensive coordinator job of his career and is in demand this cycle.
He was the Chicago Bears’ defensive backs coach in 2025. His unit had the most interceptions in the NFL. Before joining Ben Johnson’s staff in Chicago, Harris had the same role as well as being the assistant head coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers aren’t the only team interested in the 51-year-old Harris. He also had an interview with the Washington Commanders this week. Like it would be a homecoming for Harris in Green Bay, Harris and the Commanders also makes sense. Harris and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn worked together for three years when they were both in Dallas. Quinn was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator when Harris was the defensive backs coach.
As a player, Harris spent eight of his 14 seasons in the NFL with the Packers, where he enjoyed his best years. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler, had an iconic playoff interception and is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.
The Packers haven’t interviewed Leonhard yet but there’s a good bet Packers head coach LaFleur reaches out to the Wisconsin native. But Green Bay can’t interview Leonhard in person until the Denver Broncos’ season is over. The Broncos are playing in the AFC championship game this weekend.
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Leonhard, then the Wisconsin Badgers’ defensive coordinator, was a contender for the Packers defensive coordinator job in 2021 but he turned down an offer. The Packers went with Joe Barry, who was fired after three underwhelming seasons.
Leonhard later became the Badgers’ interim head coach for a brief time in 2022 and would make his way to the NFL two years ago, joining the Denver Broncos’ defensive staff. He added assistant head coach to his responsibilities this past season.
The 43-year-old Leonhard already had virtual interviews for the defensive coordinator jobs with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys last week. The Cowboys, however, have since hired former Packers defensive quality control coach Christian Parker for the position.