The Green Bay Packers have just extended long-time special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia to a two-year contract that keeps him in Green Bay until 2027. Following the news of the team bringing back the head of their special teams, Packers fans have explicitly voiced their skepticism of the re-signing after an overall poor performance from the Packers special teams unit this season. Is Bisaccia returning as a part of the Packers special teams a good move or do Packers fans have the right to be upset with the contract extension?
Should Packers Fans Be Worried About Bisaccia Returning As Special Teams Coordinator?
Weeks after the end of the 2024-2025 NFL regular season, the Packers have decided to stick with their special teams guy who was initially brought in to fix the problems that were so evident in the 2021 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. In 2021, Green Bay was ranked last among all special teams units in the league. In the three years preceding that game, the results of the hiring have been shaky. Bisaccia brought the Packers from dead last to 22nd in 2022, followed by 29th in 2023, and back to last in 2024.
To say the least, Bisaccia seems to have underperformed during his tenure with the Packers and it was almost a given that he would be let go this offseason. Yet, Brian Gutekunst ultimately decided to roll the dice with him for two more seasons despite major blunders in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears and the Wild Card match against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bisaccia’s Impact on Packers Special Teams
Since joining the Packers in 2022, Bisaccia has done more for the Packers special teams than fans would like to give credit for. Bisaccia had to find a replacement for Mason Crosby after his departure from the team left Green Bay scrambling for a new one. While Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson did not pan out, Bisaccia quickly pivoted and landed Brandon McManus, who had only missed two field goals on the season, including the playoffs.
Daniel Whelan has also been a promising addition at the punter position for the Packers over the past few years. He holds the second and third-best yards-per-punt metric in franchise history in back-to-back seasons under Bisaccia after being given a chance out of the XFL. Bisaccia has worked very closely with return specialist Keisean Nixon for the last couple of seasons, leading him to earn All-Pro Honors and lead the league in return yards and return yard average in back-to-back seasons.
Many players have achieved much success under the wing of Bisaccia. For PFF to rank the Packers as the worst unit in the league makes Packers fans scratch their heads in confusion. Is Bisaccia good or bad for this organziation?
Packers Fans Should Not Worry About Bisaccia
In most facets, the Packers have been improving on special teams since Bisaccia has been in the office and has proven that he can learn from the bad and ugly and turn that into positives. The riddance of Amari Rodgers as a punt returner is a perfect example of how Bisaccia has adapted to a winning culture and promotes it despite what the statistics may show.
Gutekunst truly believes that Bisaccia can get the job done in 2025, but also may be a little frightened to move on from Bisaccia considering the Packers special teams have been in worse circumstances. The truth is that Bisaccia is not as bad as he is made out to be and Packers fans should have faith in what he has in store for next season.
Main Photo: Mark Hoffman – Imagn Images
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