Former Green Bay Packers safety Chris Banjo is on the short list of potential special teams coordinator candidates for the San Francisco 49ers as Kyle Shanahan attempts to shore up that area of his team. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Banjo, along with Chris Tabor and Nick Sorensen have been interviewed for the job.
If Banjo’s name rings a bell, it should. After originally signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013 as an undrafted free agent, Banjo was picked up by the Packers that July and made his NFL debut with Green Bay — where he saw action in all 16 of the team’s regular-season games during his rookie season. In four years with the Packers, Banjo played 37 games and made two starts on the defensive side of the ball.
Where Banjo was known best, though, was on special teams. Banjo played 673 special teams snaps with the Packers compared to just 294 defensive reps. He also played seven seasons, combined, with the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints after his stint in Green Bay.
Immediately after he retired from playing after the 2022 season, he joined the Denver Broncos as an assistant special teams coach under former Saints head coach Sean Payton. It appears that in his two short seasons as a coaching assistant, word has traveled that he’s a potential coordinator candidate.