GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have fired special-teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga after two seasons in that role with the team, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Mennenga was part of coach Matt LaFleur’s original staff 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 was meeting with LaFleur on Wednesday to discuss his status.
Pettine opted not to sign an extension after last season, sources said. Most Packers coordinators and position coaches always have two years on their deals, but Pettine chose to go into the last year of his contract and see how things played out.
Despite the Packers’ 13-3 regular season and berth in the NFC Championship Game, they struggled on special teams throughout the season.
Blocked kicks, long returns allowed and an ineffective return game overshadowed a near-perfect season by kicker Mason Crosby, one of the few bright spots on special teams.
The Packers ranked 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special-teams rankings, widely considered the gold standard for special-teams evaluation around the league. Green Bay was 26th last season.
Mennenga inherited the worst special-teams unit in the league from 2018, when the Packers ranked 32nd under former coordinator Ron Zook. The 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’ issues on special teams this season were:
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Two punt returns allowed for touchdowns (a 91-yarder in Week 10 by the Jaguars and a 73-yarder by the Eagles in Week 13)
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A fourth-quarter fumbled kickoff return by Darrius Shepherd in what was a tie game during Week 11 against the Colts that the Packers went on to lose in overtime
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A blocked punt in Week 9 by the 49ers
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A bad snap on an extra point in the divisional playoff game against the Rams that led to a scramble situation on which holder JK Scott panicked and threw the ball to Crosby, who suffered a shoulder injury
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An inconsistent season punting by Scott
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst used draft picks in 2018 on Scott (fifth round) and long-snapper Hunter Bradley (seventh round), and neither has performed up to standards.
NFL Network first reported the news about Mennenga’s firing.