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Aaron Rodgers is the latest Jet to rip Broncos head coach Sean Payton for comments made about New York offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The passer was heard calling Payton “insecure” for ridiculing Hackett’s tenure in Denver.
Hackett was fired by the Broncos midway through the 2022 season after the team started 4-11. Expectations were high in the Mile High City following the offseason addition of quarterback Russell Wilson, but Denver couldn’t keep things on the rails.
With Hackett at the helm, many believed that offense would be potent. Unfortunately, it was the Broncos’ main issue as they averaged an NFL-worst 16.9 points per game.
In the 15 games coached by Hackett, Denver scored 16 points or less 11 times. Never did they reach the 30-point mark.
After the midseason firing, the offense trended up with 24- and 31-point performances to end the year.
Sean Payton was hired over the offseason, with many believing he can spark an immediate turnaround with the offensive unit. Last week, he spoke about the previous staff, suggesting that his current signal caller shouldn’t shoulder all of the blame for the poor results.
“Everybody’s got a little stink on their hands,” Payton said. “It’s not just Russell. It was a [poor] offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was.”
That jab resulted in New York offensive lineman Billy Turner calling the Denver coach a “f—— bum.”
Aaron Rodgers echoed those sentiments as he blasted Sean Payton for the remarks about Hackett.
Here is Aaron Rodgers’ comments about Sean Payton and his comment about Nathaniel Hackett this week. Rodgers calls Payton “insecure” and says he should keep his coach’s name out his mouth. 👀👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/7ISPvJBl5s
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 30, 2023
“I love Nathaniel Hackett, and those comments were very surprising,” Rodgers said.
“On the field, he’s arguably my favorite coach I’ve ever had in the NFL… It made me feel bad that someone who’s accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some sort of easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year. I thought it was way out of line and inappropriate, and he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
Rodgers and Hackett’s relationship dates back to their time in Green Bay, and maybe before. Hackett was Rodgers’ offensive coordinator with the Packers from 2019-2021, but he was also on the coaching staff at Stanford while Rodgers was in college at Cal.
It’s clear how Aaron Rodgers feels about both Nathaniel Hackett and Sean Payton. It should make things all the more interesting when the Jets visit the Broncos in Week 5.