Ex-Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett stripped of play-calling by Jets

Nathaniel Hackett has lost play-calling responsibilities once again.

The former Denver Broncos head coach — who called plays for the offense during his only season with the club in 2022 before surrendering the duties after nine games that saw the offense muster one or fewer touchdowns six times — was officially stripped of his play-calling role in his work as New York Jets offensive coordinator this week.

Jets interim head coach Jeff Ullbrich announced the move Thursday. Todd Downing, who called plays for Tennessee in 2021 and 2022, will assume the role — with the support of mercurial quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a close friend of Hackett’s, according to Ullbrich.

It marks the third time in his last four seasons as a play-caller that Hackett has failed to make it to the end of the season still handling those duties. Jacksonville fired him as offensive coordinator in 2018 after 11 games, and in 2022 with Denver, he surrendered the task after 9 games.

Hackett did not call plays in his three-season stint from 2019-21 as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator. Matt LaFleur — then and now the Packers head coach — handled that role.

Despite that lack of responsibility, the Broncos hired him as head coach in 2022. At the time, Hackett had not called plays since 2018 with the Jaguars. He had three full seasons (2013 and 2014 with the Buffalo Bills and 2017 in Jacksonville) and parts of two others (2016 and 2018) of play-calling work on his ledger at the time.

Denver’s offense failed to launch under Hackett. Only twice in nine games with him calling plays did the Broncos muster 17 points. With an average of 14.3 points per game accounted for by the offense, Hackett yielded play-calling responsibilities to Klint Kubiak, who oversaw modest improvement, leading the offense to 16.8 points and 1.67 touchdowns per game during six contests as play-caller before Hackett was fired as head coach and Jerry Rosburg installed as interim head coach.

Rosburg named Justin Outten play-caller and the offense finally awoke, averaging 27.5 points per game in the final two weeks of that 5-12 season.

Since 2018, the only season Nathaniel Hackett has completed as a play-caller was last year with the Jets. Dealt a body blow by Rodgers’ torn Achilles in Week 1, Hackett and the Jets finished 31st in total offense, accounting for 13.9 points and a league-low 1.06 touchdowns per game.

With his friend Rodgers returning as quarterback, Hackett kept his play-calling mantle for this season. The Jets got off to a good start, averaging 22.3 points and 3.0 touchdowns per game in Weeks 1-3. But against the Broncos in Week 4, a suffocating Denver defense kept the Jets out of the end zone as Denver eked out a 10-9 win. An underwhelming performance in last Sunday’s 23-17 Jets loss to Minnesota in London spurred the change.

The ledger of Hackett says he shouldn’t get another chance as a play-caller — at least not for a good while. But the NFL remains a league where it can be about who you know as much as what you know.

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