After being fired final December, Nathaniel Hackett may have sat at residence or on a sunny seaside ingesting Mai Tais and amassing checks from the Broncos.
However Hackett was motivated to return to teaching because the Jets’ offensive coordinator a month later for a number of causes.
“Being with a man like Robert [Saleh], any person that I’ve identified and different guys that I’ve identified on this workers that I knew, [Aaron] Whitecotton, Ron Middleton, to have the ability to have [Zach] Azzanni be part of us, Todd Downing, so many various guys — it simply appeared like an excellent workers, an excellent group of males.
“However Robert, he’s the man that I revered for thus lengthy after working with him and now what he has completed in his profession. I've some nice reminiscences from when my dad [Paul Hackett] was right here. Again then, with Chad Pennington, Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae and that crew successful the division, these had been some nice occasions.
“I feel all these issues added up and I feel it made it proper for me and my household.”
Hackett and Saleh have identified one another since their days with the Jaguars from 2015-16. Underneath then-head coach Doug Marrone, Hackett (quarterback coach and offensive coordinator) and Saleh (linebackers coach) had been each assistant coaches in Jacksonville.
In late January, Hackett changed Mike LaFleur because the Jets’ offensive coordinator as Saleh referred to as the rent a “residence run.” This was the beginning of many adjustments on the Jets’ offense this offseason, as Hackett’s rent was finally the golden ticket to convincing Aaron Rodgers the crew can be an excellent match for him.
On March 8, Hackett, together with Jets proprietor Woody Johnson, Saleh and Joe Douglas, flew out to Rodgers’ residence in Malibu after receiving permission from the Packers as they had been prepared for Jordan Like to be their beginning quarterback. Every week later, Rodgers introduced on The Pat McAfee Present that he meant to play for the Jets in 2023. Nevertheless it took six weeks for the Rodgers commerce to the Jets to be finalized on April 26.
Hackett was Rodgers’ offensive coordinator throughout his back-to-back MVP seasons with the Packers in 2020 and 2021. Throughout these two years, Rodgers averaged 4,207 yards, 42 touchdowns and 4.5 interceptions.
Nonetheless, throughout that point, Hackett wasn’t the Packers’ major play caller, as coach Matt LaFleur principally dealt with these duties. This time, Hackett can be calling performs completely for the Jets and Rodgers.
Hackett is coming off an disagreeable expertise as the pinnacle coach of the Broncos. He was fired a day after Christmas following a 4-11 document and an embarrassing 51-14 nationwide tv loss to the Rams. His time in Denver can be finest remembered for the drastic decline of quarterback Russell Wilson and his late-game clock administration choices.
“I’m not going to get into a complete lot of stuff that occurred there,” Rodgers stated about Hackett’s state of affairs in Denver. “I simply imagine within the man, I understand how he goes about his enterprise, he makes issues enjoyable.
“We used to hug earlier than each sport and my message to him for 3 years was thanks for making this enjoyable once more. He’s a wonderful trainer, his pedigree, his father, working with Invoice Walsh and the West Coast offense, which I grew up in and performed beneath with Mike McCarthy for 13 years.
“I simply love the person, nice spouse, nice household and I’m excited to be again with him. This was a part of the dream once I began daydreaming about this chance and I get to come back to work with considered one of my all-time favourite folks each single day.”
Collectively, Hackett and Rodgers will construct the Jets’ offense as they hope it is going to be rather more profitable than final season when it was twenty fifth within the league in yards and twenty ninth in factors per sport.
Along with Hackett and Rodgers, the Jets have additionally added a couple of former Packers gamers to their offense. Extensive receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, deal with Billy Turner and backup quarterback Tim Boyle had been all signed by the Jets throughout free company.
Final season, the Jets had been 7-4 getting into their ultimate six video games because it appeared they had been poised to make the playoffs for the primary time since 2010. However the offense sputtered down the stretch with Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco behind heart and with out operating again Breece Corridor, who tore his ACL final October. Gang Inexperienced misplaced their remaining six video games to complete 7-10, as its offense averaged simply 11 factors per sport throughout that stretch.
With Rodgers main the offense and a wholesome Corridor and huge receiver Garrett Wilson, who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yr, many anticipate the Jets to be a severe contender within the AFC East and the convention typically, together with the Chiefs, Bengals, Payments, and Dolphins.
“Potential is a kind of fancy phrases that we haven’t completed something but,” Hackett stated. “Proper now, we've got some superb items, some superb folks and gamers on the sector.
“There needs to be cohesion, there needs to be a mesh. Aaron runs issues on the sector very uniquely, so there are lots of issues the fellows are going to should study and get used to.
“The place that goes, I’m undecided. However I do know there’s going to be some rising pains, there’s going to be some bumps. It's nearly us getting on the sector, everyone getting comfy with one another and we'll see the place it goes.”
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