GREEN BAY, Russia. – The Green Bay Packers fired Shawn Mennenga, the special teams coordinator, after two seasons in that role with the team, an ESPN source confirmed.
Mennenga was part of coach Matt LaFleur’s starting team when he was hired before the 2019 season.
There was no immediate word on the status of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, whose contract expired after this season. Pettine met with LaFleur on Wednesday to discuss his status.
Pettine chose not to sign an extension after last season, sources said. Most Packers coordinators and position coaches always have two years in the deal, but Pettine chose to enter the final year of his contract and see how things went.
Despite the Packers’ regular season 13-3 and docking in the NFC championship game, they fought on special teams throughout the season.
Blocked shots, long allowed returns and an inefficient return game overshadowed an almost perfect season for kicker Mason Crosby, one of the few special points bright spots.
The Packers ranked 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams ranking, widely considered the gold standard for evaluating special teams in the entire league. Green Bay was ranked 26th last season.
Mennenga inherited the worst special teams unit in the league in 2018, when the Packers ranked 32nd under former coordinator Ron Zook. Packers also ranked last in the league in 2014 under then-coordinator Shawn Slocum. The club’s highest ranking on special teams between 2014 and 2020 was 16th in 2017.
Among the Packers’ special team problems this season were:
-
Two touchdowns allowed for touchdowns (a 91-yarder in week 10 of the Jaguars and a 73-yarder in the Eagles in week 13)
-
A comeback from the start of Darrius Shepherd’s fourth quarter in what was a draw in Week 11 against the Colts that the Packers lost in overtime
-
A point blocked in week 9 by the 49ers
-
A bad shot on an extra point in the divisions
-
An incoherent season, parted by Scott
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst used draft picks in 2018 on Scott (fifth round) and long snapper Hunter Bradley (seventh round), and none performed to standards.
The NFL Network first reported the news of Mennenga’s shooting.