Former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett already lands new NFL job
Jan 26, 2023, 9:39 AM | Updated: 10:26 am
That didn’t take long.
Exactly one month after the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett following his miserable 4-11 stint in Denver, the former head coach has a new gig.
Hackett will be the next offensive coordinator of the New York Jets.
We've hired Nathaniel Hackett as our offensive coordinator.
📰 https://t.co/nP2ldF4SfL pic.twitter.com/ZhuJdZWBz6
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 26, 2023
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Jets interviewed more than 15 candidates for the job before settling on Hackett. The Broncos may have jumped the gun on hiring the former Packers OC due to his connections with QB Aaron Rodgers, and now New York could be doing the same. Multiple rumors have already linked Rodgers and the Jets this offseason.
But the idea that Hackett could help lure the former MVP to Denver proved costly. Not only did Rodgers return to Green Bay, but the Broncos pivoted to Russell Wilson. Hackett and the ex-Seahawks star could never get on the same page, operating one of the worst offenses ever in the NFL.
It culminated with a 51-14 debacle in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, costing Hackett his job. He’s one of the quickest first-time coaches fired in the history of the league.
The Broncos are still looking for their 20th head coach, the man who will ultimately replace Hackett and interim HC Jerry Rosburg. Rosburg’s fate remains uncertain, but he won’t return as the top man in charge.
(Update 10:26 a.m.) –
The spin is already out in full force regarding Hackett, both from NFL media and current Jets head coach Robert Saleh…
There's the acknowledgment that Denver was a mess for Hackett. But Saleh's own background with Hackett, and having worked with Hackett when he called plays at the end of 2016, helped cut through all that.
More or less, Jets saw that Hackett lost a political war in Denver.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 26, 2023
Robert Saleh said about Nathaniel Hackett: "You gotta be able to look past recency bias, you gotta look past whatever you wanna call Denver. But the fact is he got that opportunity because of his life's work as an offensive coordinator."
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) January 26, 2023
Wow. Broncos fans would have a slightly different point of view.
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