Josh McDaniels was the previous Denver Broncos head coach, but there’s not much question that Nathaniel Hackett is the worst in franchise history. It never occurred to anyone that McDaniels’ crown might be taken away by another coach, but here we are.
Hackett was among the very few head coaches dismissed prior to the conclusion of his first season of employment, and the Walton-Penner Ownership Group was disgraced by the performance of his squad in 2022. The coaching job was so awful that, prior to the 2023 season, Broncos head coach Sean Payton made some frank and critical remarks about it in a USA Today article.
At least early in the 2023 season, the New York Jets took a lot of offence from the statements Payton provided in that specific piece. The New York Jets are once again in shambles, with Nathaniel Hackett at the centre of it all, so the joy of beating the Broncos early last year proved to be fleeting.
Following their defeat by the Broncos a few weeks prior, the Jets formally dismissed head coach Robert Saleh and moved on. Saleh joined the organization in 2021, and while he assembled some incredible defences (as we all knew he would), the Jets’ offensive woes persisted under both future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and former #2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
The two most recent years’ common denominator? Hackett has been in charge. Because of this, Todd Downing was given play-calling duties by Jeff Ulbrich, the interim head coach of the Jets, and Hackett was demoted.
The idea that Aaron Rodgers has as much clout and influence as many seem to think he does is something he laughed and sneered at, but why else wasn’t Hackett fired along with Saleh? Why did the Jets initially decide to keep Hackett on the offensive staff? What accomplishments in the NFL during the past however many years justifiably earn him a job?
Aaron Rodgers has a clear chance to save his friend’s face with this, and Sean Payton’s comments from 2023 about Denver coach Brett Hackett should be validated.
Thinking back on everything that happened with Hackett in Denver and how things have continued with the New York Jets is absurd. When you think back on it, you can’t help but wonder if Aaron Rodgers and the Packers could have survived without Hackett’s stabilizing influence. If not, the whole thing might have ended much more quickly.
But even Rodgers seemed to realize now that adjustments are necessary. He publicly declared his support for Jeff Ulbrich’s appointment as the next temporary head coach, even if it means demoting his friend Hackett. As the season progresses, it will be intriguing to watch the situation in New York.
