Former Green Bay Packers assistant coach Aubrey Pleasant is moving up the coaching ranks again, this time with the Los Angeles Rams.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported via X that Pleasant was being promoted to assistant head coach, working closer with Sean McVay. Pleasant will also continue to operate as the team’s defensive pass game coordinator.
#Rams defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant is adding an assistant head coach title to his current role, source said, a promotion that coach Sean McVay announced to the team to big cheers this week. Pleasant is viewed as an HC candidate by the Rams and NFL office. pic.twitter.com/zCAz1oHHn6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 16, 2024
Rapoport also pointed out that Pleasant is viewed as a potential NFL head coaching candidate in the near future. Prior to working with the Rams, Pleasant had operated with the Packers as an offensive consultant.
The promotion helps put Pleasant one step closer to making his head coaching dreams a reality.
Who Is Aubrey Pleasant?
Not all Packers fans will likely remember Pleasant. However, those were are also Wisconsin Badgers fans will remember him from his playing days.
Prior to coaching, Pleasant was a defensive back for the Badgers from 2005 through 2008. He made 14 starters at safety, and over his college career he racked up 80 combined tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Pleasant went back to his home state to start coaching after his college career. He started at the high school level before spending a couple of seasons with the Michigan Wolverines. He broke into the NFL world in 2013 as a coaching intern with the Cleveland Browns.
While he bounced around a few NFL teams, Pleasant ran into current Packers head coach Matt LaFleur during two different seasons in their coaching careers. The two eventually joined forces in 2022, when Pleasant was brought on as an offensive analyst.
Pleasant was brought on by LaFleur to give him the defensive perspective to some of his offensive ideas. The Packers quickly scooped him up after Pleasant was fired by the Detroit Lions halfway through the 2022 season.
The Rams picked up Pleasant prior to the 2023 season. While he has gone through the ups and downs of NFL coaching, his most recent stint with Los Angeles has helped him get back on the path towards becoming a head coach one day.
Green Bay’s New-Look Coaching Staff
Although LaFleur continues to bring stability as the Packers head coach, the team underwent several big changes on the coaching staff this offseason.
The most noteworthy move was the addition of Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator. Hafley was previously the head coach at Boston College, but has NFL experience working with defensive backs. He replaced Joe Barry, who had become an unpopular figure in Green Bay.
Hafley is bringing a different defensive scheme to Green Bay, along with a new coaching staff.
Former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley was brought in as a pass game coordinator. He brings significant experience as both a coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Anthony Campanile brings an intensity to the team as the new linebackers coach. This video shows just how intense he can be in team meetings.
The other side of the ball is highlighted by Sean Mannion coming in as an offensive assistant. The 32-year-old just retired as an NFL quarterback, playing in the league for nearly a decade with multiple teams.
With so many new faces on the coaching staff, Packers fans can expect some new ideas to show up on game days.
