Read the full transcript from HC Jeff Hafley's media availability on March 31, 2026.
(About how many of these head coaches do you actually know?) – "That's a great question, I never thought about it. Probably more than I thought I've worked with. I felt like yesterday, yesterday was cool. Yesterday we were kind of all at the pool together hanging out and I didn't even know that we would do that, but I felt like there was a lot of them that I worked with and probably about half of them I know pretty well. I was in the league for such a long period of time and then I left, and then I came back and it's only been really, this will be Year 3 coming back; but a lot of those guys I was with at some point or with a connection, so I feel like I know a lot of them."
(What are the immediate things that you want to see from QB Malik Willis?) – "I want Malik (Willis) to be himself. There's nothing I'm going to sit here and say that I want this, this, this and this. I want Malik to come in and be himself. I don't want him to change on or off the field because he's an incredible human, and I think he's got great leadership qualities that guys will rally around. I've seen it. These guys have seen it, and I've seen what he can do on the field. He needs to develop, he needs to continue to grow, but I'm not going to put any expectation on what I want to see from him."
(On why he likes QB Malik Willis as a person) – "When you start to be around him, you'll see it. He's humble, he's got this way about him where he connects with his teammates. It's the way he treats people. It's the way he works, which to me is probably more important than anything. I think the more you guys are around him and the more he's around his teammates, everybody will start to see it, and I'm going to be excited for you guys all to experience that. The type of person that he is, the type of worker that he is, the way he'll treat the media, the way he'll treat his teammates and the way he'll be with his coaches and his teammates. So I'm excited for you guys to experience that."
(On what he looks for in evaluating the cornerback position) – "I'll have some fun with this one with you. There's three things when I watch a corner's tape, when I evaluate a tape, that I always look at. There's three levels of play that I want to see if they can win at. One is the line of scrimmage. I call that Level 1. Can he win at the line? Can he press, can he make a guy stop and start his feet? Can he use his hands? Is he quick enough to change direction, right? Can he take good cutoff angles? When a guy steps out and goes in, is he fast enough to come back inside? So can he win there. Level 2 is all the intermediate routes, all the in breaks, the digs, the comebacks. Can he drop his hips and accelerate out of his cuts? Or is he a high hip guy that can't do that and maybe he doesn't have to do that because he can win so well at the line of scrimmage? And then Level 3 is can he win down the field? Can he make a play down the field? Now, I don't know if you're going to find many that can be elite Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 – those are the Darrelle Revises of the world and the Hall of Famers – I've been fortunate enough to see some of those guys and coach some of those guys, but then you look to see can they at least do two out of the three? Then I go from there and then it's can they do one out of the three. If they can't do any out of three, then we're probably going to have to find a different player. But once you see what they can do, then you can start building around the coverages that you think you can play with those guys and that's what I'm excited to do. That's why I can't wait for – I mean, a week from today our players get here, which is all we've been waiting for as coaches, is to get around our players. Now we're not allowed to do too much with them because it's going to be Phase 1, but those are the things that I'm excited to be around. I'm going to continue to coach and get my hands on those guys and help develop them."
(With the safety spot, one – do you use free and strong, and two – how do you identify the skill sets that it might be the safety for you?) – "One, let me answer the first part of your question. It's a good question. Is there a free, is there a strong – maybe. Who do we have? Do we have a really good athlete who can run and cover a lot of ground and then is the other guy a big, more box guy who's going to have to drop in, or do we have two guys who can kind of do both? Then you can play them right and left, you can play them field boundary, you can move them around. My last couple years I had guys moving all over the place based on what their skill set was and where we wanted to put certain players. I think at that position, intelligence and instincts are very important for me. I want guys who can think, think on their feet. I want guys who, as I call the game through those guys, can kind of react and communicate with me and tell me what they see and I kind of play the game within the game with the opposing quarterbacks with those guys. I want guys that understand the game, can think on their feet because they're out there alone at that point and have good instincts. And then you've got to be a great tackler. That's so important. You're the guy who's kind of like the eraser; when anything bad happens, you've got to get the guy down or it's going to be a touchdown. The ball can't get behind you. And then the skill sets after that is there's some that are really good in man coverage, some have really good range, some are really physical, some have all of it. All I'm looking forward to doing is getting my hands on these guys, figuring out what they do best and then we'll develop what we're going to do with them. I'm not going to walk in the first day and say, 'This is our defense, this is what the safety has to look like and this is how we're playing.' I'm not going to do that. I'm going to coach these guys, watch them move around, get to know them, see what they can do, see what they can process and then we're going to build the scheme around the players."
(In terms of establishing some of the things that you want to establish – physical and mental mindset and toughness, accountability, things that are most important in the end to a coach's success – how do you go about establishing that right away?) – "I think you set a standard and you talk to the players about what the expectation is and you hold them to it. You make it very black and white – these are the things we talked about together, this is the standard that we want, this is how we're going to hold each other accountable and then we're going to hold you to it. It's not going to be, 'Hey, this is what we say we want, but then we're going to not show up on time and we're not going to put in the extra work and we're not going to do the little things that we're saying.' That's not how it's going to work. It's going to be a shared vision and then my job and our job as coaches is to hold them to that, because if you're telling me you want to be up here and be this great, OK, well this is what we're going to do. We're going to sit down and have that conversation, and then don't get mad at me when it's 110 degrees and you don't feel like doing it anymore. I'm going to make you do it because you told me when you were comfortable in this meeting room, in air conditioning, that that's what you wanted and I'm going to remind you of that. I think that's a really good example is tell me how great you want to be, tell me what your goals are; I'm going to do everything in my power, so you better be on time or then you're full of it. That's not what you want. And then be very direct and honest with the players and don't give them any gray area. I think the players, all the great ones that I've been around, they respect that. It's not like a demeaning thing at all. It's I'm going to be demanding and I'm not going to demean them, I'm just going to push them because they're going to want to be great."
(This organization isn't using the word rebuild, I think a lot of people on the outside might view this as such. How do you sort of take on that task of trying to win and not letting anybody on the outside…) – "I'm not worried about how anyone views anything. All I'm excited for is getting our players here. We got here two months ago. We haven't really been around any of our players, so we get them in a week. We have some really good pieces on the team. We brought in some free agents. We have the draft coming up. I'm not thinking in those terms. All I'm (feeling) is excited to get these players here and do everything possible to get them better to win games, that's how my mind works."
(What have you said or would you say to QB Quinn Ewers who some fans still say he should be given a straight up chance to win the job at camp?) – "Yeah, do everything in your power like any other player to show us that you are the best player at your position and then our job is to play the best player to win games. That's exactly what I would say to Quinn (Ewers). I like Quinn. Quinn is one of the first guys that reached out to me when I got the job. I thought Quinn did a really good job at the end of the year, but I would say that to any player. I mean, go out there and work, do everything in your power to improve, take the coaching, learn the scheme and show us and show the team that you're the best player and our job is to play you. So that is exactly what I would tell him."
(On how he feels about establishing the culture he wants in this timeline with 11 draft picks compared to a month ago) – "I'm not really sure I've looked at it like that, to be honest with you. Like I said, I really do – and I mean this, I said this to you from the beginning – we have some pieces already that I'm excited about those guys. Am I excited about, yeah, developing however many draft picks we end up or guys we end up drafting and then signing after? Yeah, I can't wait to do that, but we also have a lot of guys that we signed that are on one-year deals that we're going to get everything they have too, and I can't wait to pour into them and try to help them in their careers. Look, I'm just excited to get around these guys and coach these guys. I feel like we're finally close to that point, you know? So it gets lonely in the office after a while when there's not many players walking around and this is what we do, and this is what I love is to be around these guys and connect with these players."
(On anything that has surprised him so far in the head coaching job in the NFL based on his experience as a head coach in college) – "I think it helped – my first go-round helped a lot whether it was hiring a staff, whether it was delegating. I wasn't very good at that my first year at BC, I thought I could do way more than I could. It's understanding that each day you might not accomplish every single thing that you thought you could cause stuff is going to come up and you just keep working, you keep crossing things off and you keep working and eventually you'll get it done. But I think my experience really helped me out a lot. Are there surprises? Yeah, I mean, without being specific, there are some things that come up every day that you just got to continue to learn from, ask questions and just figure some stuff out as you go. But we've got great resources. I've got great resources and you know, I'm not going to tell you that I have all the answers because I don't. I'm going to learn and get better every single day and do the best that I can."
(As you move back into the head coaching scene again, obviously you had the experience at Boston College, but what did you take away from Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur in those two years in terms of building a culture, building a locker room, getting a team prepared?) – "I learned a lot from Matt (LaFleur). Matt does such a good job of holding the players accountable. Kind of like what we were just we were just talking about; he defines a standard and he holds them to it. I respect that a ton about Matt. What helped me was seeing Matt as the offensive coordinator and the head coach and the way he sets everything up. For me to now be the head coach and the defensive coordinator, that has helped me a lot. The way Matt handled that in the offseason and was able to kind of let 'Steno' (Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich) do a lot in the offseason so he could really be the head coach. I learned a lot from him in that regard. I've learned a ton, a ton from Matt. I have so much respect for him, how he treats people, how he treats his staff, how he pushes the staff, how he holds the staff accountable and his expectations, not just for the players but for the staff. Because the one thing about him, he works. Matt is going to be one of the first guys in, he's going to be one of the last to leave. There are times when no one's in the office like, 'Matt, what are you still doing there?' But I have so much respect for him because of that, because all he wants to do is win. I'm just so grateful that Matt gave me the opportunity to come back to the NFL because he changed my life. He gave me the opportunity to come back and now all of a sudden I'm a head coach again. Not only do I love him as a person, but I think he's one of the best coaches in our league."
(What did you see from Bears QB Caleb Williams in that first meeting in Green Bay to the playoff game, in terms of how he might have adjusted to the defense?) – "I just think what Caleb (Williams) did at the end of the games and his ability to make off-schedule plays was incredible. I mean that's just me being honest. At the end of the games when he had to make off-schedule plays and somehow pull it off, he did. He got better throughout the season. I think he's a really good quarterback that's only going to get better."
(What sort of impression does that put on you when you're going against a quarterback who you played well against until the last seven minutes?) – "You've just got to be on it until the end of the game, but that's the NFL. Look, every time I was on the headset in the booth, whether we were up big or whether we were down, I would tell everybody, 'Guys, this game is going to come down to the end of the game. Everybody just keep doing your thing.' But that's our league. When you get guys who are really good like that, you got to make sure you're on it."
(Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur told us yesterday that there were players upset with their roles last year and he thinks it had something to do with the NFLPA report about respective players. I'm curious, what did you observe from his interactions with the players last season?) – "Yeah, I don't know anything about report cards so I've got no idea what that would be all about. All my interactions with the players and Matt (LaFleur) – I think Matt did it the right way. He told guys the truth, he told them where they stand and sometimes guys are just not going to be happy with their role I guess. I'm not sure where that's coming from."
(You were obviously very busy building this after this season. You said Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur is one of the best coaches in the league. What'd you make of the indecision or I guess the uncertainty around his job?) – "I have no idea. Like I said, what Matt (LaFleur) has done in this league from the time that he got in this league and his win percentage and what he's done at Green Bay, I mean, the guy has had one of the best careers. He deserves to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. It wouldn't surprise me if they continue to take steps and eventually he gets himself a Super Bowl."
(After the Jaylen Waddle trade, would you view it as wise to draft one of the draft's top receivers?) – "I think we've got to draft the best players possible. Then whoever they are, we'll coach them up and we'll make it work."
(How do you view this current receiver room?) – "I like them. At the same time, I really haven't been around them in person as much, so we'll find out what they can do soon. It's all going to come down to once we get these players on the field. I've just met some, I barely talked to three quarters of the team, so it's going to be a big couple of weeks coming up."
(I know you're probably going to add some guards in the draft and/or free agency. You have G/T Jamaree Salyer and G Jonah Savaiinaea. It's kind of random, but you weren't here last year, the whole year we kept asking about why Savaiinaea is at left guard when he played right side in college. I'm just curious if you know already if you guys are going to switch it up and start out with Savaiinaea back on the right side or leave him where he is already?) – "I just think once we get these guys and figure out what they can do – whether he's better on the right, whether he's better on the left – I think after OTAs, as we get into training camp, we'll figure all that out. But for me to give you any answer right now, truthfully I'd just be making it up."
(If I'm not mistaken, you guys come to Lambeau?) – "We do come to Lambeau. Hopefully Week 1. (laughter)"
(Why is that? Why Week 1?) – "There's a lot of reasons. There's a couple that I can think of. One of my favorite guys might not be ready to play by then, too. Micah (Parsons), I hope you're ready to play Week 1, I really do. Knowing Micah, he'll probably be ready to play Week 1."
(Are you still holding to that sack record for Packers DL Micah Parsons?) – "Definitely. I just don't have to be the one – someone else has got to hold him to it. It wouldn't surprise me, though, if he did."
(On how he can incorporate the Green Bay culture into what he does) – "I'm not looking to – we're going to look to do this our way. I have so much respect for how the Packers do things from the top down, but this is not going to be like we're trying to recreate anything. What I tried to bring to Green Bay was a play style on defense that we were going to play harder and more physical and more violent than everybody that we played. That's what I wanted to add to the Green Bay Packers, and I think for the most part, if you turned on our tape, we played pretty hard. I want our whole team here in Miami to play with that same mindset. This isn't just about me coaching the defense now, this is about the culture of every person that touches that field, that's what I want it to look like. This is not going to be, 'Yeah, this is how we did it in Green Bay.' I have a ton of respect for everything in Green Bay, even these guys, they've been unbelievable, but this is now about the Miami Dolphins and how we're going to do things."
(How do you get to that physicality? I mean obviously restrictions on practice and how physical practice is, especially in the offseason program. How do you set that tone of physicality outside of drafting great players?) – "It's the people you bring in, one. As we go through this draft process, you want to find out if a guy loves football, if a guy is going to be tough and if a guy is going to be physical, turn the tape on. Don't ask him. Don't ask one of his coaches, don't ask somebody that scouted him. Turn the tape on. If you see a guy running full-speed, putting his face on people, a wideout blocking downfield, a guard looking to clean somebody up, if you see those things over and over, you're going to find guys that love football and you're going to find guys that are going to play that way. We've got to go out and we've got to find guys like that, and then we've got to push them on the field. When we can be physical, we have to be physical. Does that mean sometimes there might be some live work in training camp? Yeah, there might be. I want to find out who can play the game of football. I've said this before, you know how you get good at football? You play football. You know how you get good at tackling? You tackle and you block and you get off blocks and you run to the football and you finish down the field, and then you set a standard where this is how it's going to look or you're not playing. When you start to build that and create that, then all the young guys are going to see it and that's how they're going to practice. There are restrictions, so as I say the guys are going to be here in a week, we can't do that in OTAs. It's not a physical deal, but how we train, how we run to the ball, how we move, how we attack in the weight room, that has to be our mindset in everything that we do. I like that question because I love talking about that."
(As you prepared to do head coaching interviews for the first time and as you got your staff ready and talked about it in those interviews, is there anything you learned about putting together a staff and what owners or front office people might want that you didn't expect as you were going through the process maybe a little bit earlier?) – "The only thing I'll tell you that it becomes harder is it's just who can you really get out because there's a lot of people under contract. That's probably the hardest thing. Everything else, you have a plan, you have a vision. You have to have almost like a depth chart of, 'I want this guy, maybe I can't get him,' so you've got to be really detailed. What I did this past offseason was I created like a depth chart of coaches and then even – I'll give you an example, even after we played a team and I was like, 'Wow, that o-line coach was really good.' I'd go back to my office and I'd put that guy's name down, or if there was a wide receiver coach that I had a ton of respect for after coaching against him, I'd put that guy's name down. I just tried to build a depth chart in case I did get a chance to interview, it wasn't just me going in with two or three names. My best advice would be do your homework, have a big group of names because you just never know who you're going to get. Then at the same time, there's like six new coaches all trying to hire a staff and we're all trying to hire the same guys, so that's the hardest part."
(Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor said that one thing he learned when he first put a staff together is that he'd never promised anyone a job, even like just someone you coached with in college or somebody and say, "Yeah, the day I get a head coaching job, you're going to be my guy." Is there any process you went through like that?) – "I don't know if I've ever promised anyone a job, but I think as you go through this and you have friends that you're really close with that think all of a sudden because you got the job that you're going to hire them, it's hard to tell them you can't, whether they're not the right fit, whether this coordinator really wants this guy. There's so much more that goes into it than me just saying, 'Yeah, come on. I'm going to hire you.' No one probably understands that until you sit in this seat, and I think you've just got to be honest with them and then you might lose some friends along the way. Hopefully you don't because they understand and respect it but yeah, I've had those and it's been hard."
(What can you tell us about the quarterbacks coach that you hired, Bush Hamdan?) – "Bush (Hamdan), really good interview, really good recommendations. (Offensive Coordinator) Bobby (Slowik) came to me with his name, him and Bobby had a lot of conversations. He had been in the NFL with the Falcons, he had coached Matt Ryan when he was younger. He had called plays, which was important to me. I wanted a guy who had kind of done that as well, and just again, I'm going to go back to people, really good person, really good at connecting with players. I loved his demeanor, and I think he was excited to get back into the NFL. So with him and Bobby kind of in that room, I think they'll be a really good team together."
(You guys have an abundance of draft capital in this class, especially after the Jaylen Waddle deal. Can you speak to the excitement as a head coach of the opportunity to have that much capital to work with and early impressions on the depth of this class?) – "Any time you get a chance to draft players, that's exciting. You're going to have young guys come in and however many we wind up with, get a chance to coach them and develop them and mold them. So yeah, of course we're excited about that. I think it's a good draft class. I've watched a ton of film and various positions, I think it's very talented."
(On the value of having an alpha) – "I think if you've got one guy who's just dominant and is an alpha, I think that's great. And if you don't, you better have a lot of guys and do it together. And if you can do both, then you've got a hell of a group. So like I said, I'm excited to see who those guys are that we have. I think we have some really good pieces. I think we have some alphas and then we'll continue to see if we can find more."
(On what he likes about EDGE Josh Uche and EDGE David Ojabo) – "Versatility, athleticism. Can play the run, can set edges, can rush, can win quick, have had success in their careers. Excited to work with those guys."
(Not many coaches coming into a situation like this with extreme salary cap issues, a lot of minimum salary guys. How do you feel about this situation that you're in?) – "I'm excited. I think (General Manger) Jon-Eric (Sullivan) has done a really good job kicking this thing off. I'm just excited for the players to come in, excited to meet the free agents we just signed, excited for this draft. I just can't wait to coach again."
(Is this easy for you to play the 'underdog' card or the 'nobody believes in us' card this year as a coach?) – "I'm not big into playing any cards; I'm just excited to coach and develop and building something fun here."
(You didn't have Packers DL Micah Parsons at all last offseason. Obviously, you were able to incorporate him into your scheme on the fly in a way that obviously really shined. How were you able to process and figure out on the fly where he wins best at?) – "With Micah (Parsons)? Micah can win anywhere. Put him anywhere and he'll find a way to win. You can line him up on the outside, you can put him on the inside. You can stand him up, you can dictate protections with him, you can set up protections where you put a safety and put him opposite to create one-on-ones. You can get teams to go five down and get him one-on-ones. Micah doesn't get enough credit for how smart of a player he is and how he understands protections and can hear things and switch up what he does, and Micah doesn't get enough credit for when you challenge him to play the run, how good that he is at playing the run. So it's not hard when you have Micah, you can kind of just do whatever you want with him."
(How do you figure out then, "OK, he can do everything at a high level. This is where he needs to be in certain situations to be best for us?") – "Well, it's matchups. You have conversations with him, too. The cool part about Micah is he'd be in my office and we'd be sitting there watching film together, and he'd have some great thoughts and we'd have some great dialogue. It's, 'Micah, who do you want to rush against? Do you want that guard because you think you can beat the guard? Do you want to go over the center and just run over the center? Do you want the tackle?' And there's sometimes Micah wanted the best guy just to beat him. So it's conversation, it's game plan, it's a lot of fun."
(I wanted to ask you about pass rushers. EDGE Chop Robinson, he got drafted high because he had Micah Parsons-like athletic metrics. How do you get him to unlock that?) – "I think again, it's going to happen when we get him on the field. I mean Chop (Robinson) has had some success. If you build a pass rush tape of Chop, he does things that you're like, 'I can't wait to get my hands on this guy.' But I think we need to get to know him, right? I want to see him live. I want to see what he looks like in his stance. I want to see what we can do to help him out of his stance, out of his first step. What's his go to move? Is he going to win with speed? What's his counter? Can we coach him up on that? Can we help him take the step? What's his mindset like? Where is he at right now? I just talked to him on the phone a bunch, I can't wait to coach him. But he certainly has that. His first few steps, his get off, he can roll. Now it's our job to coach him up and develop him and help him get better."
(On his relationship with Eagles Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion) – "I love Sean (Mannion). What Sean did with Jordan (Love), what Sean did getting Malik (Willis) ready – Sean is a person [who] became one of my closest friends there. One of the hardest workers that I've seen at a younger age. Always in the building, always working at it, always one on one with the quarterbacks doing extra things, and he played the position. You could say he's only coached two years, but his time as a quarterback in the NFL, I mean all he's doing is learning football and he's doing it. So what he'll bring to that quarterback room and what he'll bring to that offense, I think he's going to be awesome. I will always root for him; he's an awesome guy."
(Do you plan to add a fullback?) – "Maybe, do you want a fullback? …I like fullbacks, I like them all."
(What kind of help do you think Cardinals Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be for a guy like Head Coach Mike LaFleur in Arizona?) – "He'll be a lot of help. He's been a head coach, he's called plays. He gets the big picture. One, I love Mike (LaFleur). I think Mike is going to do an awesome job, and I love (Nathaniel) Hackett. I think he's going to be a big help. Any time you can have a guy that's sat in that chair and called plays, he'll be a help for him as a playcaller, he'll be help for him as a head coach."
(Why are you such a fan of Cardinals Head Coach Mike LaFleur?) – "I was with Mike (LaFleur) in Cleveland. He was a QC at the time, I was a DB coach, so I got to know him really well. I saw how he worked, a football mind, and I'm just going to go back to people. I think you win with people. I think he's one of the real good guys in this league. He's going to treat people the right way in all aspects. He's going to be awesome off the field. His wife is awesome; I love his family. Then being with him the second time in San Francisco, I just saw him grow. Obviously he's been groomed by guys like Kyle (Shanahan) and Sean (McVay), so his football knowledge is outstanding. Then going to do it on his own with Robert (Saleh), had some success, had some struggles, and then to see him come back up, I think that's an awesome football journey. He's been through a lot, and I think he's going to be a great coach."
(General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan called it a priority to extend RB De'Von Achane. What are some of the things that he does to destroy a defense?) – "He's dynamic. I mean there's plays that you're not even blocked right for and he gets six or seven yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he's so hard to defend. I'm glad 'Sully' (Jon-Eric Sullivan) said that."
(You mentioned something about [athletic quarterbacks]. Why is that so much more impressive to defensive-minded coaches? Why does every defensive coach want an athletic quarterback?) – "It's pretty simple, right? Like most games, it's timing and rhythm and the ball is out or it's a bad play. When you're in zone coverage and the quarterback starts to roam and wide receivers start to run around, there's holes everywhere open in zone. When you're in man coverage and the play goes off-schedule and the quarterback starts running around, do you know how hard it is to cover for those extra four, five, six seconds? I mean, it's awful. Especially if the guy can throw it on the run? It makes it two parts to the play that you have to defend, and then there's the threat of him running, so now your edge guys and your d-line have to play a certain way and make sure that they don't fly by the quarterback, or you make sure you don't run a game and now a nose is wrapping to contain. You've got to call the game differently the way you kind of run your games, the way you pressure and then certain coverages you got to play, so that's why."
