Broncos: 3 Packers players Nathaniel Hackett could poach

The Denver Broncos clearly hired Nathaniel Hackett to help land Aaron Rodgers

It should not boil down to this entirely, but here we are. Once the Broncos hired Hackett to be their next head coach, it was a chess move in Denver’s attempt to get a franchise quarterback out of Green Bay. Rodgers may have a good working relationship with LaFleur, but it is hard to look past last summer’s tumultuous offseason. Rodgers could feel refreshed in the Rocky Mountain air.

While Hackett’s time in Denver will be defined by how the Broncos play on the field, so much will be made on his ability, or inability, to get Rodgers to want to come play for him. If Rodgers were to be traded from the Packers to the Broncos, Denver has a decent shot of being the 2022 version of the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A non-playoff team that becomes Super Bowl-caliber overnight.

There is a ton of pressure on Hackett anyway. He is a first-time head coach leading a proud organization that has been scraping along at its nadir for half a decade or so. He can be a hero if the Broncos wrangle Rodgers. Not to say Hackett will be ridiculed for not getting him, but the Broncos need to continue to win the offseason and not enter the 2022 campaign with a whimper.

Fair or not, Hackett and Paton will be judged on their ability to navigate the Rodgers sweepstakes.