Aaron Rodgers confirms desire to play for fired Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett

Aaron Rodgers has long made his affinity for ex-Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett crystal-clear.

And he reiterated that Thursday when he met media for the first time as a New York Jet after the finalization of the trade between his new team and the Green Bay Packers.

“A big reason I’m here, I’ve got to mention, is Nathaniel Hackett,” Rodgers said. “I love him like a brother.”

Welcome to 1 Jets Dr. @AaronRodgers12 pic.twitter.com/C0W6ImrSvp

— Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) April 26, 2023

Rodgers played three seasons (2019-21) with Hackett as his offensive coordinator. Two of those campaigns — 2020 and 2021 — ended with MVP awards.

That connection was part of why rumors ran riot early last year of the Broncos pursuing Rodgers after hiring Hackett as their head coach. But the Packers balked at trading him, and during the NFL Combine, worked out a new contract with the prolific-but-mercurial QB.

With Rodgers off the table, Denver subsequently traded for Russell Wilson.

And the Wilson-Hackett marriage ended in abject disaster — the shortest non-interim head-coaching tenure in Broncos history, the worst season (by far) of Wilson’s career and a 5-12 finish that resulted in sweeping changes, most notably the hiring of Sean Payton as head coach.

When the Jets hired Hackett as their offensive coordinator, speculation resumed about the move — and whether it was meant to make Rodgers amenable to a trade after a frustrating 2022 season in Green Bay.

When that notion arose to Rodgers on The Pat McAfee show last month, the QB bristled.

“The only offense [I’ve taken] to that statement, honestly,” Rodgers said then. “That actually diminishes the ability that he has to coach football and connect with people. That is, to me, the f—ing objective reality.

“Anybody who’s been around Nathaniel Hackett knows that he brings a lot of energy, a lot of fun. He’s an incredible teacher of the game, especially the quarterback position. And he’s a really good human being.

“For people to say that that was done just to attempt to lure me is a total disservice to Nathaniel Hackett.”

Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers, reunited: pic.twitter.com/e0ObKsJzF7

— Andrew Mason🥶 (@MaseDenver) April 26, 2023

But in the same interview, Rodgers said this about Hackett:

“There’s one coach who’s meant as much to me as any coach I’ve ever had, and he happens to be the coordinator there,” Rodgers said.

And while the Hackett-Rodgers pairing didn’t materialize in Colorado, it will resume with the Jets. The Broncos will get a glimpse at that during the regular season when the Jets visit Denver.

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