GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is interviewing Kacy Rodgers for the vacant defensive line position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rodgers would bring a wealth of experience to the position – one of the most difficult on a staff to fill, LaFleur said.

Rodgers has been an NFL coach for more than two decades, starting as defensive tackles coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. After a four-year stint as defensive coordinator of the Jets, he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as defensive line coach in 2019. Defensive run-game coordinator was added to his title the past three seasons.

Rodgers’ contract in Tampa Bay expired, Rapoport said.

With a long history of results, it’s no wonder why he is on LaFleur’s radar – he is the second known candidate for the position – and was considered a mentor by his players.

“Kacy Rodgers was really the driving force behind us being able to have so much success early in our pro careers, and a big reason why some of us were able to have sustained success in the NFL,” former NFL defensive lineman Chris Canty said.

“He taught us offensive line protections, he taught us formations, he taught us basic offensive systems. So being able to learn the game from that perspective, learning how to break down the tape – that’s really what allowed us to get our football IQ caught up to our physical abilities.”

In 2019, the Buccaneers ranked No. 1 with 73.8 rushing yards per game and 3.26 yards per carry.

In 2020, his unit was a big reason why the Buccaneers beat the Packers in the NFC Championship Game and won the Super Bowl. The Bucs’ 48 sacks were the second-most in team history. The Bucs once again finished No. 1 in rushing yards allowed per game and per carry, and they surged to seventh in sack percentage.

With that dominance, Rodgers won the John Teerlinck Defensive Line Coach of the Year Award as the NFL’s top defensive line coach as selected by other coaches.

“It was a special season and just to be recognized by your peers, it makes that much more special,” Rodgers said.

“It’s all about them,” he added. “It ain’t about me. Nobody hit me.”

In 2021, the Bucs finished third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, seventh in sacks and first in quarterback hits.

Tampa Bay finished fifth in rushing yards allowed per game in 2023 and fourth in 2024.

Added together in his six seasons, the Bucs finished second in sacks, first in yards allowed per carry and third in touchdowns allowed.

The Bucs’ run defense dominated down the stretch to this season. Over the final nine games of the regular season, they didn’t allow 4.0 yards per carry in any of them. In the playoff loss to Washington, the Commanders gained 82 yards on 33 carries – a paltry 2.5-yard average.

“Once we got to the bye, we figured out what we can do,” Rodgers said. “We’ve always kind of hung our hat on being able to do that so we said, ‘We have to get back to doing that. If we can kind of try to limit this, we can attack that.’ Every team has weaknesses, so we try to make this a positive [and] then we’re able to do [that]. Plus, the guys really bought in.”

Green Bay’s run defense was excellent this season but their front-four pass rush was inconsistent, at best, which is what cost Jason Rebrovich his job.

“It’s a passing league,” Rodgers said while with the Jets. “You want to stop the run from a defensive philosophy and make teams one-dimensional, but it is a passing league.

“So, at some point in time, you got to affect the quarterbacks. You have to. It’s important, no doubt. We have to affect the quarterback, but there are a lot of different ways to affect the quarterback. With coverage, with blitz, with mixing it up. It’s a combination of things.”

Rodgers played linebacker and defensive end at Tennessee, where he was an honorable-mention on the all-SEC team, from 1988 through 1991. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1992 but didn’t make the team.

While Rodgers was with the Jets, his son, Kacy Rodgers II, tried to make the team as a defensive back.

“He’s been a tough coach, but a fair coach at the same time,” the younger Rodgers said in 2018. “Obviously, when we’re in here, it’s strictly business. When we’re outside of here, he’s always going to be my dad. If anything, I’ll probably be coached that much harder. I think he expects a lot from me — but that’s nothing I’m not used to.”

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