We meet again: The Packers vs. some familiar faces

**Players:** None. **Coaches:** Justin Hood (2021-2023), Kevin Koger (2019-2020), Alex Van Pelt (2012-2017) Wow, we’re starting this off with a BANG. Tell your neighbors! Tell your friends! Two former Packers quality control coaches, Hood and Koger, are now with the Falcons as secondary coach and tight ends coach, respectively. Alex Van Pelt is currently the Falcons quarterbacks coach, after holding this same title with the Packers from 2014-2017. QB Aaron Rodgers was famously not pleased with the decision to let Van Pelt walk.

Buffalo Bills

**Players:** None. **Coaches:** Jason Rebrovich (2022-2024) Jason Rebrovich, currently a senior defensive assistant for the Bills, was the Packers OLB coach before being promoted to pass rush specialist, and then ultimately became the Packers DL coach for the 2024 season.

Carolina Panthers

**Players:** LB Krys Barnes (2020-2022), RB AJ Dillon (2020-2024), CB Robert Rochell (2023-2024), OT Rasheed Walker (2022-2025) **Coaches:** None. I was genuinely shocked to discover Barnes was still in the league, not because of my opinion of him as a player, but because I have no concept of time and thought he played like, 10 years ago. AJ Dillon (who is in incredible shape) and Rasheed Walker both signed with the Panthers earlier this year. And then there’s Robert Rochell, the perennial Packers practice squad elevation, who received a game ball on Thanksgiving in 2024 after recovering a muffed punt.

Chicago Bears

**Players:** None! The Bears have clearly lost their love of the game (the game being signing every former Packer they possibly can). **Coaches:** Matt Giordano (2009), Al Harris (2003-2010) Just two former Packers are with the Bears this year, and they’re both players-turned-coaches (I’m not counting practice squad player Ty Summers, because what is that). Former CB Al Harris, one of the most beloved Packers of the last 25 years, is the Bears DB coach and passing game coordinator, while former S Matt Giordano is his assistant coach. Harris most recently interviewed for the Packers defensive coordinator role this January, before the team hired Jonathan Gannon.

Dallas Cowboys

**Players:** CB Corey Ballentine (2022-2025), DT Kenny Clark (2016-2024), LB Rashan Gary (2019-2025) **Coaches:** Christian Parker (2019-2020), Derrick Ansley (2024-2025) This was one of the Packers’ most anticipated matchups of the 2025 season, after the team traded for LB Micah Parsons exactly one month prior, including longtime Packer Kenny Clark in the deal. After the game ended in a 40-40 tie, we were all left wishing things had gone a little differently. They’ve got their chance to redeem themselves during the 2026 season—let’s hope Parsons is back on the field by the time this game rolls around. One reunion I’m looking forward to? The one that got away, Christian Parker, who is now the DC for the Cowboys ,after interviewing with the Packers two separate times for their DC openings in 2024 and in January of this year. I thought he might be their guy this time, until the Cowboys hired him just days after his interview in Green Bay.

Detroit Lions

**Players:** None. **Coaches:** Mark Brunell (1993-1994) Gone are the days of “this player didn’t work for the Packers, but he might work for us”, huh? Former QB Mark Brunell, who backed up Brett Favre in the early 90s, is now the quarterbacks coach of the Lions. The Packers ended up trading him to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, making him the first-ever player to be traded to the team. The more you know!

Houston Texans

**Players:** CB Tremon Smith (2019) **Coaches:** None. Tremon Smith, the lone former Packer on the Texans roster, spent time with Green Bay in 2019 for a couple of months before being waived mid-season.

Los Angeles Rams

**Players:** WR Davante Adams (2014-2021), **Coaches:** Greg Williams (2023) Davante Adams, I think about you daily. The future HOFer ranks 4th all-time in targets (1,012), 2nd in catches (669), 4th in receiving yards (8,121), 2nd in receiving TDs (73), and 3rd in yards per game (70) for the Packers. This matchup will be just the second time Adams has faced off against his former team since being traded in 2022. The first time around, he had 4 catches for 45 yards.

Miami Dolphins

**Players:** S Zayne Anderson (2023-2025), S Omar Brown (2024-2025), LS Taybor Pepper (2017), TE Ben Sims (2023-2025), QB Malik Willis (2024-2025) **Coaches:** Jeff Hafley (2024-2025), Sean Duggan (2024-2025), Joe Barry (2021-2023), Wendel Davis (2019-2025), Siriki Diabate (2023-2024), Ryan Downard (2018-2025), Chuka Ndulue (2021) **Front Office:** Jon-Eric Sullivan (2004-2025), Fergie (approximately 10 minutes in 2011) FINALLY. The matchup which inspired this whole list. This year, the Packers will face off against the Miami Dolphins, or as I like to call them, the Green Bay Packers. I want you to read this next sentence in the voice of Stefon from *Saturday Night Live*, please and thank you. This roster has *everything*: darling QB Malik Willis, former DC Jeff Hafley, longtime executive Jon-Eric Sullivan, and even Super Bowl XLV halftime performer Fergie. The Dolphins even have Bobby Slowik, who spent his teenage years in Green Bay when his dad Bob was the defensive coordinator for the Packers. Don’t be surprised if this game gets a primetime designation, due to the sheer amount of crossover alone. Jordan Love vs. Malik Willis? Matt LaFleur vs. Jeff Hafley? Packers by 30 (which means it’ll be Packers by 2).

Minnesota Vikings

**Players:** RB Aaron Jones (2017-2023), LB Eric Wilson (2022-2024) **Coaches:** None. Aaron Jones in a Vikings uniform still feels wrong. It IS wrong. A beloved Packer for 7 seasons, Jones sits at 3rd all-time in rushing yards (5,940), 4th in rushing attempts (1,177), and 4th in rushing TDs (45) for the franchise. And then there’s Eric Wilson, who was a lot of fun for like 3 games per season.

New England Patriots

**Players:** WR Romeo Doubs (2022-2025) **Coaches:** Mike Smith (2019-2021) **Front Office:** Eliot Wolf (2004-2017) It’s going to be really difficult to watch Romeo Doubs bobble around for 150 yards while wearing another team’s Guardian Cap.

New Orleans Saints

**Players:** WR Samori Toure (2022-2023), CB Isaac Yiadom (2021) **Coaches:** Scott Tolzien (2013-2015), Kyle Wilber (2023-2024) “I kind of wish Isaac Yiadom was still a Packer” really speaks to the state of the team’s secondary in 2026, doesn’t it?

New York Jets

**Players:** FB Andrew Beck (2024), C Josh Myers (2021-2024), DE Kingsley Enagbare (2022-2025), DE Jack Heflin (2021-2022) **Coaches:** Chris Banjo (2013-2016), Ryan Slowik (2003) I found myself asking out loud “What’s Chris Banjo up to these days?” every time the Packers had another special teams gaffe last season. I don’t even know if he’s any good as a coach! Rich Bisaccia’s units were just that bad.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

**Players:** None. **Coaches:** Ken Zampese (1999) Folks, we were so close to having found the anti-Packers until the I got to the literal last name of the Buccaneers coaching staff. Ken Zampese, the Bucs’ offensive pass game specialist, was a Packers offensive assistant way back in 1999. Most of the Packers roster hadn’t even been born yet (YUCK). We’ll find out exactly when the Packers play each of these teams soon—the official schedule release is expected in mid-May, but we know these things tend to leak beforehand, so it could be even sooner.