Nathaniel Hackett lands defensive analyst job with the Packers

Nathaniel Hackett had one of the worst head coaching tenures in Denver Broncos history back in 2022 when he was fired after posting a 4-11 record with the orange and blue, with the cherry on top being a Christmas Day blowout against the Los Angeles Rams. The excitement that was behind the combination of his hiring and the Russell Wilson trade had quickly faded as he duped Broncos fans into thinking he had what it took to be a head coach at the highest level of football.

After Hackett was fired by the Broncos, he found himself as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets for the next two seasons as he reunited with his old pal from Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers. After two years in New York, he wasn’t technically fired, but his time had run its course. Midway through the 2024 season, he was demoted from being the team’s offensive play caller, which practically put the writing on the wall that he was out of time in the Big Apple.

On Thursday, it was revealed that Hackett had found himself another NFL coaching gig back with the Green Bay Packers, where he spent three seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator with Rodgers as the quarterback from 2019-2021. However, this role was a little different than some might have expected.

Hackett began his NFL coaching career in 2006 in Tampa Bay after three seasons at UC Davis and Stanford at the collegiate level. He has made plenty of stops on his coaching journey throughout the NFL but every single role he had was an offensive one. His role with the Packers will be a big change, as he’s joining the staff as a defensive analyst.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he likes having an offensive coach work with the defense (and vice versa), which is what Nathaniel Hackett is doing here as a part-time analyst/consultant.

Hackett has been in the linebacker room so far. pic.twitter.com/6lztKEeuQg

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 24, 2025

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is hoping that his offensive approach to the game can provide some insight to the team’s defense.

Broncos fans saw it first hand, Hackett did a great job at making defenses look great in Denver. His offense had no juice all season, struggled to move the football and had to have fans remind them of how much time was on the play clock.

Jokes aside, Hackett did begin his coaching career as an assistant linebackers coach at UC Davis, so he’s no stranger to the defensive side of the ball, even though it’s not his specialty. The Packers had Robert Saleh work in a similar capacity last season as well.

Broncos fans will get to see their favorite coach in Hackett this season, as the Packers travel to Denver in Week 15 for a showdown that could have very important playoff implications.

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