Nathaniel Hackett on taking Jets’ OC job: ‘It just looked like a great staff, a great group of men’
After being fired last December, Nathaniel Hackett could have sat at home or on a sunny beach drinking Mai Tais and collecting checks from the Broncos.
But Hackett was motivated to return to coaching as the Jets’ offensive coordinator a month later for several reasons.
“Being with a guy like Robert [Saleh], somebody that I’ve known and other guys that I’ve known on this staff that I knew, [Aaron] Whitecotton, Ron Middleton, to be able to have [Zach] Azzanni join us, Todd Downing, so many different guys — it just looked like a great staff, a great group of men.
“But Robert, he’s the guy that I respected for so long after working with him and now what he has done in his career. I have some great memories from when my dad [Paul Hackett] was here. Back then, with Chad Pennington, Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae and that crew winning the division, those were some great times.
“I think all those things added up and I think it made it right for me and my family.”
Hackett and Saleh have known each other since their days with the Jaguars from 2015-16. Under then-head coach Doug Marrone, Hackett (quarterback coach and offensive coordinator) and Saleh (linebackers coach) were both assistant coaches in Jacksonville.
In late January, Hackett replaced Mike LaFleur as the Jets’ offensive coordinator as Saleh called the hire a “home run.” This was the start of many changes on the Jets’ offense this offseason, as Hackett’s hire was eventually the golden ticket to convincing Aaron Rodgers the team would be a good fit for him.
On March 8, Hackett, along with Jets owner Woody Johnson, Saleh and Joe Douglas, flew out to Rodgers’ home in Malibu after receiving permission from the Packers as they were ready for Jordan Love to be their starting quarterback. A week later, Rodgers announced on The Pat McAfee Show that he intended to play for the Jets in 2023. But it took six weeks for the Rodgers trade to the Jets to be finalized on April 26.
Hackett was Rodgers’ offensive coordinator during his back-to-back MVP seasons with the Packers in 2020 and 2021. During those two years, Rodgers averaged 4,207 yards, 42 touchdowns and 4.5 interceptions.
However, during that time, Hackett wasn’t the Packers’ primary play caller, as coach Matt LaFleur mostly handled those duties. This time, Hackett will be calling plays exclusively for the Jets and Rodgers.
Hackett is coming off an unpleasant experience as the head coach of the Broncos. He was fired a day after Christmas following a 4-11 record and an embarrassing 51-14 national television loss to the Rams. His time in Denver will be best remembered for the drastic decline of quarterback Russell Wilson and his late-game clock management decisions.
“I’m not going to get into a whole lot of stuff that happened there,” Rodgers said about Hackett’s situation in Denver. “I just believe in the man, I know how he goes about his business, he makes things fun.
“We used to hug before every game and my message to him for three years was thank you for making this fun again. He’s an excellent teacher, his pedigree, his father, working with Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense, which I grew up in and played under with Mike McCarthy for 13 years.
“I just love the man, great wife, great family and I’m excited to be back with him. This was part of the dream when I started daydreaming about this opportunity and I get to come to work with one of my all-time favorite people every single day.”
Together, Hackett and Rodgers will build the Jets’ offense as they hope it will be much more successful than last season when it was 25th in the league in yards and 29th in points per game.
In addition to Hackett and Rodgers, the Jets have also added a few former Packers players to their offense. Wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, tackle Billy Turner and backup quarterback Tim Boyle were all signed by the Jets during free agency.
Last season, the Jets were 7-4 entering their final six games as it appeared they were poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. But the offense sputtered down the stretch with Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco behind center and without running back Breece Hall, who tore his ACL last October. Gang Green lost their remaining six games to finish 7-10, as its offense averaged just 11 points per game during that stretch.
With Rodgers leading the offense and a healthy Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, many anticipate the Jets to be a serious contender in the AFC East and the conference in general, along with the Chiefs, Bengals, Bills, and Dolphins.
“Potential is one of those fancy words that we haven’t done anything yet,” Hackett said. “Right now, we have some very good pieces, some very good people and players on the field.
“There has to be cohesion, there has to be a mesh. Aaron runs things on the field very uniquely, so there are a lot of things the guys are going to have to learn and get used to.
“Where that goes, I’m not sure. But I know there’s going to be some growing pains, there’s going to be some bumps. It is just about us getting on the field, everybody getting comfortable with each other and we will see where it goes.”
