Jets hire Nathaniel Hackett as OC; let the Aaron Rodgers talk begin

Nathaniel Hackett, pictured here when he was the Packers' offensive coordinator, has a history with Aaron Rodgers. Will that help him land in Florham Park?
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The Jets have a new offensive coordinator. And he just might help them land an old quarterback.

Robert Saleh is hiring former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett to run his offense, a source confirmed to NJ Advance Media. NFL Network first reported the hiring.

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Hackett was fired by the Broncos in December after a disastrous first season as a head coach, but he has experience as a play-caller, and has worked with a veteran quarterback the Jets could be pursuing in a trade: Packers star Aaron Rodgers.

Hackett didn’t call plays as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2019-21, but he did work closely and develop a strong relationship with Rodgers. Of course, it’s still too early to read too much into what it could mean for the Jets’ future, but it certainly could bode well for the Jets.

The 43-year-old Hackett struggled with clock management and his offense was a mess with Russell Wilson and the Broncos. There was speculation as early as September that he was in danger of losing his job. But the Jets aren’t hiring Hackett to be a head coach, they’re hiring him to fill an offensive coordinator job, and he has experience doing that.

He called plays in previous OC stints with the Jaguars (2016-18) and the Bills (13-14). The Jets and previous offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur parted ways earlier this month after the Jets finished the season with six straight losses and scored only four touchdowns over that span, including none in the final three games.

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Hackett has a lot of things to fix and a lot of issues to deal with. It’s unclear what kind of scheme he’ll implement with the Jets, who have some promising young weapons in Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Elijah Moore, but also have a nightmare quarterback situation with 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson looking like a bust.

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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.

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