Aaron Rodgers tries best to sell Jets fans on Nathaniel Hackett after disastrous first year

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was hired for one main reason: to lure quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Meadowlands. Hackett was a part of a group of players and coaches that the Jets put together in 2023 when they made their bid to acquire Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.

But Hackett's tenure as the Jets offensive coordinator has gone as poorly as his head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos in 2022. With new ownership and coaching, Denver had mile-high expectations for their season — especially after their blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson. The campaign proved to be a disaster, and Hackett was fired after a 4-11 start to the 2022 season.

After Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury on New York's opening offensive drive in 2023, Hackett was left to pick up the pieces and put together a productive unit with quarterback Zach Wilson at the helm.

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers defends OC Nathaniel Hackett amid criticism

During an interview with Adam Schein on SiriusXM's "Mad Dog Sports Radio," Rodgers was asked about why Jets fans should trust Hackett as their offensive coordinator.

"You should trust me," Rodgers said. "And I trust Nathaniel. So, to me, that's end of story. There’s been a lot of BS that’s been said out there. There are a lot of things that have gone on in the last couple of years that he’s dealt with that I think he’s handled very professionally. And at the end of the day, I think you gotta trust him and I's working relationship and the conversations that we have."

For the Jets, this offseason has been rife with rumors about friction between ownership and coaching. A recent report claimed that the Jets no longer trusted Hackett to run the offense, even with Rodgers at quarterback. The Jets reportedly attempted to hire someone to manage the offense for Hackett this offseason.

“We gotta believe in Nathaniel," Rodgers added. "There's been some things that we've improved on, been some things that were out of his control. At the end of the day, him and I's partnership is one that's been fruitful in the past, and it's gonna be fruitful again."

It's not the first time Hackett's coaching ability has been called into question. During Hackett's time in Denver, the Broncos hired assistant coach Jerry Rosburg to manage in-game decisions after Hackett's poor decision-making ability continued to hurt the team. Sean Payton, who was hired as head coach of the Broncos in 2023, said Hackett's work with the 2022 Broncos was "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."