There continues to be growing buzz in Wisconsin, especially from fans who want to see Jim Leonhard as the next Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator. Even Barry Alvarez has joined the chorus. However, the hang-up is that Leonhard's Denver Broncos are still in the playoffs. If the Packers want Leonhard, they may have to be patient. In the meantime, they are quietly interviewing another former Badger coach, Daronte Jones.
It may take a real Wisconsin ball-knower to catch that the current Minnesota Vikings Pass Game Coordinator/DBs coach was a former Badger coach. However, for one season in 2015, he was the defensive backs coach for Paul Chryst.
With the Jeff Hafley hire complete, the #Packers begin their search for a new DC: They’ve requested to interview #Vikings Pass Game Coordinator/DBs coach Daronte Jones, sources said. Jones interviewed in-person with the Cowboys, as well as the #Jets. The #Giants also requested. pic.twitter.com/T2OvdDNBGK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2026
The Green Bay Packers are working on interviewing Daronte Jones a relatively forgotten Badger coach
Related: There's some real buzz about former Badger Jim Leonhard and the Packers
Jones only worked with the Badgers for one season under Chryst (in his first season as head coach) before moving on to the NFL. He left Wisconsin to go be the assistant defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins and then went to a few other NFL stops before becoming the LSU defensive coordinator in 2021.
That didn't work out, not because of Jones, but because Ed Orgeron ended up parting ways with the Tigers at the end of the season. Jones headed back to the NFL, and he's been on the Minnesota Vikings sideline recently.
So, his stop in Madison was fairly short and mostly uneventful besides being Paul Chryst's first year and winning the Holiday Bowl over USC. However, he is a former Badger coach; it may not be the one that crossover fans of the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers want, but it is an interesting nugget nonetheless. It may end up being Leonhard, but that interview may need to wait a week or three more.