Examining Mike Pettine's next stop in the NFC North

Mike Pettine is now coaching for his third team in the NFC North.The 55 year-old was hired earlier this offseason by Minnesota to be the team's senior defensive assistant under first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell. 

Pettine was the defensive coordinator of Green Bay Packers from 2018 to 2020. He was then hired by the Chicago Bears in 2021 to be a senior defensive assistant. Pettine is going into his 30th season coaching football. He has coached at every level, including the high school level, and he has performed the roles of head coach, assistant and consultant.   

It's very interesting that he is moving to his third team in the NFC North divison. When he left the Packers in 2020, they had finished the season ninth in total defense. At the end of his lone season in Chicago in 2021, the Bears finished seventh in total season. Even before his time in the NFC North, Pettine helped coach elite defenses in Baltimore with Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, and he also coached Darrelle Revis and a couple very stout New York Jets defenses during their playoff runs over a decade ago. The Pennsylvania native has been coaching defense in the NFL for two decades.

The Vikings have one of the more talented defenses in the league. He has a pair of All-Pro edge rushers in Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter, a couple of Pro Bowl defensive backs in cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Harrison Smith, and middle linebacker Eric Kendricks is the All-Pro tackling machine in the middle. Pettine will help current Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell bring the best out of this Minnesota defense. Pettine has the coaching experience and the proven success as a defensive coach on his side, which will help Minnesota in the long run.