Green Bay Packers Rumors 2016: Head Coach Fires Two Assistants
The Green Bay Packers exited the postseason after losing the Arizona Cardinals, 26-20, in their divisional round matchup. Wasting no time in the attempt to make the team better next season, the Packers announced on Tuesday the firing of running backs coach Sam Gash and tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot.
The move was not a surprise, though, because Mike McCarthy already said on Monday that the team's coaching staff will see some major changes in the offseason, and obviously, letting go of the two is just one of the series of moves expected from them.
Fontenot has been with the team for quite some time now. He started as an intern to McCarthy's staff during his first year. He then went on to become an assistant offensive line coach, a move that was seen as a confidence vote to Fontenot by the ownership. He eventually was promoted to running backs coach in 2011 and then tight ends coach the year after.
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Gash, on the other hand, was hired in 2014. He served as the running backs coach for the Detroit Lions prior to his transfer to Green Bay. Only in his second season, it is likely that he already ended his contract since McCarthy is known to offer his assistant coaches two-year deals the first time they're hired.
In a statement, McCarthy thanked Fontenot for a decade of working together. "It's been a pleasure to work with Jerry for the past 10 seasons. He has given a lot to this organization and has been a big part of our success," the head coach said.
Just barely a year ago, McCarthy made some major adjustments in his coaching staff, particularly in offense. First, he promoted Tom Clements to associate head coach, while Edgar Bennett became the offensive coordinator, replacing Clements in his old position. Finally, Alex Van Pelt was named receivers coach after previously serving as quarterbacks coach.
