Packers Hire Former Coordinator Gray To Lead DBs

College Football Hall of Famer Jerry Gray spent the last six years with the Vikings.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have filled the lone hole on their coaching staff by hiring Jerry Gray as defensive backs coach.

The hiring was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday and made official on Wednesday. Gray replaces Jason Simmons, who joined new coach Matt Rhule in Carolina. Rhule hired Phil Snow as his defensive coordinator; Snow was an assistant coach at Arizona State during Simmons’ college career.

Gray has no ties to either coach Matt LaFleur or defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. On an otherwise-young staff, the 57-year-old Gray stands out in terms of experience (32 years in the NFL as a player and coach) and age (57).

Gray was defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings under Mike Zimmer from 2014 through 2019. Zimmer elected not to retain Gray at the end of the season. He will inherit a group that’s young but experienced. Starting cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Kevin King were the Packers’ top picks in 2018 and 2017, respectively, and Josh Jackson was a second-round pick in 2018. Safeties Adrian Amos (free agent) and Darnell Savage (first round) were added in 2019. They helped the Packers finish sixth in opponent passer rating (after finishing 28th in 2018) and third in interception percentage. Minnesota was 10th in passer rating and fourth in interception percentage.

“To me, I think you make sure the guys go out there and do what they're supposed to do,” Gray once said of his coaching philosophy. “It's just not your defense and they're playing a part in it. They take ownership, and when they take ownership, the defense works very well because they know they take pride in it. They want to take it home. They want to tell their wives, their kids about it, and that's what we're hoping to get back here.”

From a technique perspective, he said he likes to let his players do what they do best rather than rigidly stick to press or off coverage.

“To me, being a teacher, it's your job to figure out what the guy can do best,” Gray said. “And if you can do that, the guy will play for you. Any time a player has success, they're going to love you as a coach. If they don't, they're going to hate you as a coach. That's the bottom line.”

After a nine-year playing career ended in 1993, Gray broke into the coaching ranks at SMU in 1995. He joined the Tennessee Titans as defensive quality control coach in 1997. In 2001, he was named Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, a post he held for five seasons. His defenses in 2003 and 2004 finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in points allowed. He was defensive backs coach for Washington from 2006 through 2009 and Seattle in 2010 before becoming Tennessee’s defensive coordinator from 2011 through 2013. During those three seasons, the Titans were eighth in scoring in 2011 but 32nd in 2012.

In 2013, Gray was selected for the College Football Hall of Fame. Gray ranks third in University of Texas history with 16 career interceptions. He was a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 1985 and was a four-time Pro Bowler with 28 career interceptions, including eight with the Rams in 1986.

“When you grow up, you don't really think of it as an individual game, you just think of your team," Gray said of his induction. “You really don't play this game for yourself, you play it for your teammates and it's an honor to be up here and I'm humbled by it. I want to thank those guys [teammates at Texas] for providing me the opportunity to be up here.”

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