Report: Packers fire special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton following playoff collapse

Jason Owens

After special teams blunders sealed the Green Bay Packers' early ouster from the playoffs, Maurice Drayton is out of a job.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein reports that head coach Matt LaFleur has fired Drayton as Green Bay Bay's special teams coordinator.

The Packers lost as the NFC's No. 1 seed to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. The 49ers blocked a Mason Crosby field goal attempt and later scored a touchdown on a blocked punt in the 13-10 victory. They also got a 45-yard kickoff return from Deebo Samuel to set up their first field goal. They won the game without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Rodgers: 'We would just like to play even' on special teams

After the game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke bluntly when asked about the special teams breakdowns.

"We would just like to play even," Rodgers said of special teams play. "Make some plays, kind of have a wash in the special teams. That'd be good, but crucial, critical situations, we had obviously some issues."

GREEN BAY, WI - JANUARY 22: Green Bay Packers punter Corey Bojorquez (7) gets a punt blocked during the NFC Divisional playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022, in Green Bay, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A blocked punt by the 49ers sealed the Packers' playoff exit and apparently Maurice Drayton's fate. (Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Packers struggled in special teams all season

Drayton served as Green Bay's assistant special teams coach for three seasons prior to his promotion to coordinator in 2021. Special teams play plagued the Packers throughout the 2021 season. Per the Journal-Sentinel, Drayton was meticulous in his study of league-wide special teams trends, but the effort didn't pay off in on-field execution. The Packers ranked last in the NFL in average drive start after kickoff, 30th in kickoff return average, 26th in opponent average drive start after kickoff and 31st in field-goal percentage.

The Packers announced multiple promotions on the coaching staff on Tuesday including Jason Vrable to wide receivers/passing game coordinator, Connor Lewis to assistant quarterbacks coach, Luke Butkus to offensive line coach and Ryan Mahaffey to assistant offensive line coach. The news release made no mention of Drayton's reported exit.

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