Broncos hire Nathaniel Hackett, task him with reviving franchise in general, offense in particular

A Broncos franchise in acute need of an adrenaline jolt emanating from the head coach’s office and an offensive revival hope they received both Thursday when they announced the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett.

A veteran NFL coordinator widely respected for his football acumen and boundless energy, the 42-year-old Hackett agreed to terms on a four-year contract, according to a league source. He emerged from general manager George Paton’s list of 10 candidates and was the only one to receive a second interview. On Saturday, Hackett completed his third season as the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator.

Contract talks with Hackett’s camp kicked into gear late Wednesday after the Broncos learned he had scheduled a second meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A league source confirmed the Broncos and Hackett were closing in on an agreement around 5 a.m. Thursday, which would have been Day 20 of the search.

“Nathaniel Hackett is a dynamic leader and coach whose intelligence, innovation and charisma impressed us from the very start of this process,” Paton said in a statement. “In addition to having a brilliant offensive mind, Nathaniel is an outstanding teacher and communicator with a strong vision for all three phases of our team.”

Hackett will be the Broncos’ fifth head coach since 2015 and will be tasked with ending the team’s streak of six consecutive years out of the playoffs (longest since 1976) and five straight losing seasons (longest since 1972). He replaces Vic Fangio, who was fired Jan. 9 after posting a 19-30 record.

Hackett initially met with the Broncos on Jan. 14 in Wisconsin. Paton and Co. completed their 10th candidate interview last Friday in Kansas City and returned to the Denver area for two days of deliberations. When the Packers were upset by San Francisco in the divisional round Saturday, Hackett became available for a follow-up interview.

The Broncos flew Hackett via private plane into the Centennial Airport, across the street from the team’s headquarters, on Monday morning. He spent several hours at the facility and met extensively with Paton as well as department heads on the football and non-football sides.

The impression of Hackett was overwhelmingly positive, according to a source, who added team employees and executives were buzzing about Hackett’s heavy-on-enthusiasm and short-on-gruffness demeanor.

But, as the week progressed, it appeared the Broncos were still interested in visiting with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, the latter of whom could not be contacted until next Monday. Paton, though, moved forward after the Jaguars’ renewed interest in Hackett, and the Broncos were the first of the nine head-coaching openings to be filled. Soon after, Quinn announced he was staying in Dallas.

Did the Broncos go 180 degrees away from Fangio? In theory, yes.

Fangio is 63 and Hackett is 42. Fangio’s expertise is defense and Hackett’s is offense. And Fangio is old school (nothing wrong with that). Hackett is new school (one of his play calls in Jacksonville included the word “Segway”). The only similarity is both were hired by the Broncos as first-time head coaches.

“Always in a good mood,” a league executive said in a text.

“Great dude,” an NFL assistant said.

“He’s one of the smartest coaches and people that I know and the most organized – I think that’s what his players are going to benefit the most from are his organization skills,” said New York Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton, who worked with Hackett in Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.

All of Hackett’s smarts and organizational skills will be required to jump-start a Broncos team that has finished last in the AFC West the past two years and has averaged 10 losses per season since 2017.

Because Hackett was Green Bay’s offensive coordinator the past three years, the natural connection is this will lead to Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers joining the Broncos.

The reality: The Broncos were expected to go Franchise Quarterback Hunting this offseason regardless of which coach they hired and while it may be convenient to hire somebody close to and respected by Rodgers, it wasn’t the top reason he was hired.

The top reason is Paton feels confident Hackett, who is expected to call the offensive plays, can revive an offense that has failed to finish among the top 15 teams in points scored since 2014 and find stability and productivity at the quarterback position regardless of who is acquired.

“From developing young players to working with all-time greats as a key part of winning teams, Nathaniel has had tremendous success in this league,” Paton said. “He’s a student of the game and knows how to put players in position to win.”

A Rodgers-Hackett tandem wouldn’t make the Broncos the instant division or Super Bowl favorite, but it would make the team relevant for the first time since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 championship season. The Broncos have the cap space (more than $40 million) and draft picks (five in rounds 1-3) to offer the Packers for the 38-year-old Rodgers, who is expected to win his second consecutive NFL MVP award next month.

“He’s a great coach,” Rodgers said during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “I love spending time with him. He’s a fantastic teacher.”

Hackett, whose father, Paul, was a long-time coach in the NFL and college, earned his teaching chops at myriad stops since entering the profession at Cal.-Davis in 2003 while finishing his degree; he would attend a 10-hour lab class and then go to football practice. He initially wanted to become a doctor, but said in 2016: “It didn’t hit me until I was done playing — I really enjoyed football.”

Hackett moved onto Stanford, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Syracuse, the Bills again, Jacksonville and Green Bay. In the NFL, he called the plays in Buffalo (2013-14) and Jacksonville (mid-2016 to mid-2018).

In 2017, Hackett first appeared on the head-coaching radar when the Jaguars improved from 3-13 to 10-6, led the league in rushing and reached the AFC title game, losing to New England. But things fell apart the following year and Hackett joined Matt LaFleur’s staff in Green Bay.

“This has been the ultimate goal for him, but the way he’s carried himself and just continued to improve and learn has been outstanding,” Middleton said. “He’s very deserving and hard-working and ready for this job.”

Hackett file

Age: 42.

Born: Fullerton, Calif.

High School: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.).

College: Cal.-Davis.

Family: Wife, Megan; two sons, Harrison and London; and two daughters, Briar and Everly.

Previous job: Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator.

Hackett coaching career

How Nathaniel Hackett’s offenses have fared in the NFL

New Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has been an offensive coordinator for parts of eight seasons in the NFL, including five as the play-caller with Buffalo and Jacksonville. Here’s a look at how his offenses stacked up against the rest of the league.

* Hackett was offensive coordinator for only part of the 2016 (Weeks 9-17) and ’18 (Weeks 1-12) seasons.