It’s no secret that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers is very close with the team’s offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
They formed a close bond working together in Green Bay from 2019-21.
It’s been speculated that one reason the Jets hired Hackett on January 28, 2023 to replace Mike LaFleur as their offensive coordinator, was to try to attract Rodgers to Florham Park. That speculation has never been corroborated, but it’s a common theory many espouse.
It’s been a rough last couple of seasons for Hackett, first with the Broncos in 2022, when he got fired in-season as their head coach, not even making it through his first campaign in Denver, and then last year, his first as Jets OC, where he took a lot of heat from the fans and media for the struggles of the Jets offense after Rodgers got hurt in Week 1.
Then, last week, Connor Hughes, who works for the Jets’ media partner, SNY, reported: “The Jets made legitimate attempts this offseason to hire someone who would, essentially, replace Hackett.”
So Rodgers was asked today how Hackett is holding up after a rough couple of years.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s been an interesting year, a couple years for Nathaniel,” Rodgers said. “He’s a tough guy, but we’re all human and I’m guessing that it wouldn’t be the easiest situation to take that kind of critique over and over, but I think it’s in at times of adversity, the kind of character is revealed, and I applaud him the way that he handled some tough times.”
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