Conflicting reports. Mixed messaging. And a growing sense that the Green Bay Packers are trying to win a PR battle that didn’t need to exist.

In this hour of Jen, Gabe & Chewy, the crew unpacks the strange and increasingly confusing public narrative surrounding Jonathan Gannon’s hire as defensive coordinator, asking a simple question that keeps getting buried:

Why not just say he was Matt LaFleur’s guy from the start?

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🏈 Two stories — one hire

The show opens by laying out the conflicting reporting:

ESPN reporting that Gannon was in demand and the Packers moved quickly to avoid losing him

Local reporting suggesting the Packers could have waited and weren’t at risk of losing him

Previous denials about ever offering Jim Leonhard the job

Constant “clarifications” that seem designed to shape perception

The hosts agree:

None of this changes the hire — but it does change how it feels.

🧠 If Gannon was the guy, just own it

Gabe frames the frustration perfectly:

If Matt LaFleur loved Jonathan Gannon because his defenses were hard to attack, just say that.

Instead, the Packers appear to be:

Inflating outside interest

Protecting egos

Trying to prove they “won” something

Chewy compares it to debates where someone suddenly says, “Well everyone I know agrees with me.”

Once you need an imaginary crowd behind you, you’ve already lost the argument.

🗣️ Why this feels like insecurity

Jen raises a bigger concern:

This level of explanation feels like imposter syndrome, not confidence.

The crew debates:

Why the Packers feel compelled to sell every move

Why they keep trying to control the narrative instead of standing on results

Whether years of postseason disappointment have eroded organizational confidence

If Green Bay had won a Super Bowl — or even consistently reached one — none of this conversation would exist.

🎙️ Jason Wilde joins

Jason Wilde joins the show and adds crucial context, confirming that mutual interest between the Packers and Jim Leonhard was real, and that the vacuum created by the team’s silence allowed multiple narratives to flourish.

Wilde explains:

It’s possible LaFleur truly wanted both conversations

It’s also possible urgency pushed him to act

When teams don’t speak, sources with agendas fill the void

Coaching hires are often influenced by shared agents and quiet back-channel conversations

Wilde also addresses Adam Stenavich’s situation, explaining why LaFleur does not block assistants from interviewing — the opposite of Mike McCarthy’s approach — and how that philosophy has shaped Green Bay’s staff movement over the years.

🔄 PR battles the Packers don’t need

The hour circles back to the central theme:

Why is Green Bay trying so hard to convince people they made the right choice?

The hosts argue:

Jeff Hafley wasn’t a “hot commodity” — and he was still a good hire

Coaches don’t need to be universally loved to succeed

Conviction matters more than consensus

As Jen puts it:

“Stand on what you’re standing on.”

⚖️ The bottom line

Jonathan Gannon is the defensive coordinator.

Matt LaFleur got the coach he wanted.

Now the talking should stop.

Because no amount of narrative-shaping matters if:

Discipline doesn’t improve

Late-game defense doesn’t change

Accountability doesn’t show up on Sundays

The Packers don’t need better PR.

They need better results.

🎧 A sharp, thoughtful conversation about messaging, confidence, and why sometimes the simplest explanation is the strongest — only on Jen, Gabe & Chewy.

Packers, Green Bay Packers, Jonathan Gannon, Matt LaFleur, Packers defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, Packers PR, Packers coaching hire, Jason Wilde, Rob Demovsky, Packers offseason, NFL coaching news, ESPN Milwaukee, Jen Gabe and Chewy