After hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new OC, are the Jets eyeing Aaron Rodgers next? | You Pod to Win the Game

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson, Frank Schwab and Charles McDonald discuss the Jets’ new offensive coordinator, including what this means for the QB position in 2023.

Video Transcript

[AUDIO LOGO]

CHARLES ROBINSON: Nathaniel Hackett, Frank asked me, it was like a couple of weeks ago, he was like, you think he, think it's a, what do you think happens? Like, he's got to really work his way. I was like, yeah, man, quarterbacks coach.

FRANK SCHWAB: Right.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Like, he's not going to get an opportunity. Gets hired as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets.

FRANK SCHWAB: What are we doing here, Charles? What are we doing here? My goodness.

CHARLES ROBINSON: I will tell you.

FRANK SCHWAB: Go ahead.

CHARLES ROBINSON: I had a conversation with someone in the organization a little over a week ago. It's interesting, because I brought up Rodgers, and total avoidance. Like, like, awkward avoidance. Like, I thought my like the phone signal dropped. Like, I was like, wow, this, not going to at all, bring up this guy's name and there's not even any comment about it.

I think two things are happening here. Number one, people should understand that the Jets internally believe that had they not suffered the injuries that they suffered, Elijah Vera-tucker, Breece Hall last year, I think they felt like our window's open. Like, our window's actually open right now if we can just resolve the quarterback spot.

And I think Woody Johnson, that's part of the dynamic this offseason is, the A1 number one priority part of the dynamic is the A1 priority is, let's resolve the quarterback position. The window is now. And so I can just tell you, I think to me, why Hackett makes sense, is Woody Johnson, and I think this is very much, there's going to be a lot of ownership involvement I think here in the quarterback pursuit,--

--I think Woody Johnson, the thought process is sort of what Denver had when they hired Hackett, which was, we're going to hire Hackett. We're going to end up trading for Aaron Rodgers. For all intents and purposes, Rodgers could end up running the offense basically. He has said repeatedly under Matt LaFleur, I'd love to run my own offense. I want to run forget the motion stuff. Let's just do this West Coast system.

So I think you have a situation where to me, what it looks like right now, and if this isn't it, then, OK, then there's some explaining to do, not that there isn't anyway. I think it's sort of setting up the road to let's see if Aaron Rodgers, we can trade for him. Then there's this window with Aaron Rodgers where we probably feel like we have, at least in terms of a bridge, at least a year or two.

And our window's now. These guys come back healthy next year. We are competing next year to get to an AFC title game. Next year potentially, to get to a Super Bowl. All these young pieces that we have and feel good about, are going to take a step forward. We can pitch Rodgers on that.

And then during that two-year window, hopefully, and I do think that internally, especially with Joe Douglas, the hope is that Zach Wilson can be salvaged if he's given time to step back, watch someone else operate, watch someone else how they do it, learn, take their time, and then when the window opens up again, then Zach Wilson can maybe strike in that situation,--

--which by the way, is not unlike I think what kind of has gone on with Jordan Love in Green Bay. Initially, Jordan Love was a disaster. He was not ready. He was not. He was far, far away. I think as time has gone on, the coaching staff has felt like it's getting better. He's improving, given the time, he has started to develop the way that we had hoped he would.

So I think with the Jets, they're kind of trying to accomplish two things here. Not only strike now, where they think the window is opening, but also potentially save the Zach Wilson pick.

CHARLES MCDONALD: Why do you need to save it, though? Like, that's the part I don't get.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Because they think it's safer. Because, Charles, here's why. They because they thought clearly, they spent whatever resources they spent, whatever bandwidth went into that choice, I mean, you and I talked about it. It was just like a foregone conclusion, they were taking him at two. It was like, oh, Trevor Lawrence is going one, they just, it was right away, it was like, Zach Wilson is going two.

And whatever was dedicated to making that decision, my guess is because personnel people are stubborn and they feel like there's some sort of impediment to stopping what they thought would happen from happening, is that they can somehow work out this Rubik's Cube that is Zach Wilson with a little bit of a longer runway. He still has the natural talent. Maybe Rodgers can help that ultimately happen.

And I would knock it, but you know what? I knocked Geno Smith for years. And then Geno Smith did what he did in Seattle, and I was like, OK, well, maybe what was going on with the Jets with Geno Smith was not 100% Geno Smith's fault. Maybe guys can grow and they can change and they can learn and become what they always thought they could be.