Joe Barry fired by Packers? Sources on January 25

The ‘Packers’ fire their defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

Confirmed by NFL Network’s team member Tom pelissero that Joe Barry will not return as the defensive coordinator of Packers.

Just after two days when the head coach Matt Lafleur claimed questions about Barry’s future with Packers and said that now he would handle it in his own way.

A post by Tom Pelissero on X, “A change in Green Bay: Joe Barry will not return as the Packers defensive coordinator, per sources.”

Who is Joe Barry?

Joe Barry is an American Football coach who served as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers of NFL. He also served as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Rams, as well as serving as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskin and the Detroit Lions. Joe Barry previously served as an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers. He is son of former coach Mike Barry.

Why Green Bay packers decided to fire Joe Barry?

The Packers have officially decided to fire defensive coordinator Barry. How they choose to replace Barry will be a major factor in player personnel on that side of ball, but to move on from Barry immediately puts a number of Packers players on the chopping block who follow him may see out the door.

The Packers proved in 2023 that they are ahead of schedule as far as becoming a true contender in NFC North. Many thinks that this team is just a few defensive tweaks away from potentially taking the Detroit Lions’ spot a top in the NFC North 2024.

Speculation about Joe Barry’s Job security began in December after the Packers lost 34-20 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Matt LaFleur was asked whether he would consider removing Barry before the end of season.

Five players who could follow Barry out of the door: Rumors

Who are the Five Packers players who could follow Joe Barry?

1st. Darnell savage

More notable pending free agents defensively for the Packers is Darnell savage. He is the former first-round pick out of Maryland. Although Darnell savage’s decline with the Packers started upon Barry’s arrival, and according to us both Savage and Packers will look to move on this offseason for betterment.

Darnell S. had a fabulous pick-six for Packers in the team’s decisive win over the Cowboys in Wild Card Round, but he failed to secure another easy pick-six against the 49ers in 2nd round as well as fully whiffing on the tackle against 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who then sprinted to the end zone of touchdown. Savage was solely responsible for 14-point swing in a one-score loss.

In a way, Savage was almost solely responsible for a 14-point swing in a one-score loss but he could be the 1st one on the way out now that Barry has been let go.

2nd. Preston Smith

Packers gave Preston Smith a big-money contract back in 2019, signing him to 4-year deal worth $52 million. That deal turned out to be quite the bargain for the Packers, as Smith immediately set a Carrer high of 12 sacks in his first year with the team. Sometimes the business aspect of NFL is quite difficult. The packers are not often major players in NFL free agency, so when they are aggressive, it is most notable.

Since joing Packers, Smith has averaged 19QB hits and 9 sacks per 17 games. He is also averaging 26 pressures per year since arrived in Green Bay Packers and former 2nd-round pick by Washington has certainly lived up to his NFL Draft billing.

The Packers now find themselves at a crossroads. Does Preston Smith still have time to offer? Absolutely, but the Packers don’t have a lot of salary cap space right now ($4.8 million), and Smith is due a roster bonus of $5.7 million coming up in mid-March. I think it is the right time to move on.

3rd. De’Vondre Campbell

The De’Vondre Campbell move for Green Bay was more of the ‘reclamation project’ variety when he was initially brought in on a 1-year deal worth $2 million back in 2021. He parlayed that 1-year deal with the Green’s into 5-year, worth $50 million contract and truely did his best for Packers.

He has not justify his salary cap which hit over $ 14.2 million with his game now.

De’Vondre Campbell – Green Bay Packers Linebacker – ESPN

4th. Rudy Ford

There was a curious decrease in snaps for Rudy Ford late in the season that has led some to believe he had one foot out the door for quite some time. Rudy has bounced the league over the last handful of years, trying to make his way. He ended up being a really nice find for the Green Bay over the last two seasons, starting 15 of the 30 games he played.

Now the Ford is a risky proposition: His decrease in usage late in 2023 season was very odd, considering he was playing his best. But with two interceptions and only one touchdown allowed, Ford put some great stuff on tape in 2023, but he’s going to be just 30 in 2024, and the Green Bay might want to dip into the free-agent market for players with a higher “floor” in 2024.

5th. Eric Stokes

The main issue with moving on from Stokes is that you obviously believe in potential as a former first-round pick, but his availability has been brutally low. he played just 12 games over last 2 seasons and Packers will almost certainly not be picking up his option for 2025 at this point.

Trade Eric Stokes to the highest bidder this offseason. Give him a fresh start, and make sure he recoups some NFL Draft capital from another team.