On September 13, 2008, in Fresno, CA, Wisconsin Badgers defensive back Aubrey Pleasant (8) and his teammate Andrew Lukasko (5) celebrated after successfully breaking up a pass against Fresno State Bulldogs wide receivers Marlon Moore (5) and Devon Wylie (18) during the third quarter of the Badgers’ 13-10 victory at Bulldog Stadium. Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports.
Recently, the Green Bay Packers received positive news regarding their coaching staff. Two of head coach Matt LaFleur’s key assistants, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, had interviewed for head coaching positions with other franchises—Stenavich with the Chicago Bears and Hafley with the New York Jets. Fortunately for the Packers, both the Bears and Jets chose to hire coaches from the Detroit Lions instead; offensive coordinator Ben Johnson went to Chicago, while defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn joined New York.
As a result, both Johnson and Glenn are now in the process of building their coaching staff, and one candidate they are considering is a former Packers coach and Wisconsin Badgers standout. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Johnson and the Bears are interested in interviewing Aubrey Pleasant, currently the assistant head coach and passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, for their defensive coordinator position.
Meanwhile, Green Bay just interviewed former Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington for their open defensive line coach role. Some fans may remember that Pleasant served as an offensive consultant on LaFleur’s staff in Green Bay after he was let go as the Lions’ defensive backs coach by head coach Dan Campbell in mid-2022. Following that season, many supporters hoped Pleasant would take over as the defensive coordinator in place of Joe Barry. Instead, he returned to the Rams, where he had previously coached the defensive backs from 2017 to 2020. He has also been part of the coaching staff for the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Browns.
Pleasant’s connection with LaFleur dates back to their time together in Washington, where LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach and Sean McVay served as the tight ends coach. Before transitioning to coaching, Pleasant had a playing career as a defensive back for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2005 to 2008. He began his coaching journey as a defensive graduate assistant at Michigan in 2011 while also earning a Master’s degree in education.
