Packers part ways with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine

Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Green Bay Packers have moved on from veteran defensive coordinator Mike Pettine after three seasons, the team announced Friday.

The decision comes despite Pettine getting the Packers back into the top 10 in overall defense this past season. Green Bay ranked ninth in the NFL in yards allowed per game and 13th in points allowed per game in the 2020-21 campaign.

"We want to thank Mike for his commitment to the Packers for the last three seasons. He was an important part of our success," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said in a statement Friday. "As a first-time head coach, he was also an invaluable resource for us during our time together."

League sources told ESPN and NFL Media the 54-year-old Pettine never agreed to a contract extension that was offered to him after last season, meaning he was coaching in the final year of his deal. Most coordinators and assistant coaches with the Packers have two years on their deals, but Pettine decided to enter the last year of his contract.

Pettine, who was hired by former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy in 2018, becomes the third straight defensive coordinator for Green Bay to be fired or let go without a head-coaching change. That list includes McCarthy's first two defensive coordinators, Bob Sanders and Dom Capers.

Before joining the Packers, Pettine served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2014-15. He also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens (2002-08), New York Jets (2009-12), Buffalo Bills (2013) and Seattle Seahawks (2017).