January 28, 2021 at 4:28 PM CST by Sam Robinson
The Packers make a change to special teams. They fire ST coordinator Shawn Mennenga, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Mennenga, a longtime college coach, had previously served as Brown’s assistant ST coach before joining him Matt LaFleur‘s staff in 2019. The Packers are expected to promote assistant ST coach Maurice Drayton replacing Mennenga, Pelissero tweets. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, at least one other team was interested in Drayton for such a role. Drayton became eligible for this job two years ago.
Here’s the latest from Green Bay and across the competition:
- Mike Pettine can’t be locked up next season as Packers defensive coordinator. The veteran DC chose not to sign an extension last year, and ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes that his contract is expiring. The Packers invested heavily in their pass rush, using three first-round tips on defenders from 2018-19, but dropped from 15th in defensive DVOA in 2019 to 17th last season. Pettine is a holdover from it Mike McCarthystaff, arrived in 2018.
- Foals running backs coach Tom Rathman announced his retirement on Thursday. The Colts hired Rathman in 2017, after his eight-year tenure as running backs coach ended. Rathman tried to retire in 2019 and ’20, but the Colts successfully lobbied him to stay, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic (on Twitter). A decorated fullback who won two Super Bowls with the 49ers, Rathman coached running backs from 1997-2020. Sixteen of those years came to San Francisco.
- They remain with the Colts and hire a former Jaguars QB coach Scott Milanovich to replace Marcus Brady in that position, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Milanovich was Jacksonville’s QB coach from 2017-19. Furthermore, he has spent his career in the CFL after coaching the Toronto Argonauts and, in 2020, the Edmonton Eskimos. The Colts promoted Brady to OC last week.
- Long-lasting NFL wide Keenan McCardell will resurface in Minnesota. The Vikings hire McCardell as receivers’ coach, according to Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). McCardell, a longtime Jaguars pass catcher who broke into the coaching ranks in 2010, served as Jacksonville’s coach from 2017-20 under Doug Brown.
- Ex-Colts DC Ted Monachino will the Falconsoutside linebackers coach below Arthur Smith next season. Monachino, Indy’s DC from 2016-17, spent the past two years with the Bears. The Falcons also rented Jon Hoke to coach defensive backs. Maryland HC’s elder brother Brady HokeJon was the defensive coordinator of the 2019-2020 Terrapins, but he has coached NFL DBs for several seasons.