Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said “it wasn’t a great fit” between Nathaniel Hackett and the Denver Broncos.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has publicly praised Nathaniel Hackett numerous times over the years. He was the offensive coordinator for the team from 2019-2021, with the final two years being fantastic. Hackett was hired to be the head coach of the Denver Broncos, to hopefully lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50.
After 15 games, the Broncos were 4-11, their offense ranked in the bottom of the league, and had an embarrassing showing on the field and the sidelines during their 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. On Monday, Hackett was fired by the Broncos, not lasting one full season at the helm.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers spoke about Hackett’s firing in Denver, saying that “it wasn’t a great fit.”
Aaron Rodgers says Nathaniel Hackett-Denver Broncos paring ‘wasn’t a great fit’
“Obviously it wasn’t a great fit in Denver for a number of reasons that I don’t think I need to bring up, but the record is what it was, and the new owner decided to make a change, which is his prerogative” said Rodgers. “[Hackett’s] still going to get paid, and he’s got an incredible wife and a great family, and a lot of things to be proud of, and he’s got a great friend in me still.”
As you can hear and read, Rodgers didn’t want to get into the “number of reasons.”
Hackett may have been a great coordinator with the Packers, as Rodgers did win back-to-back NFL MVP awards (2020-21) during his tenure. But his first stint as a head coach didn’t work out.
The offense scored a league-low 15.5 points per game through 16 weeks this season. Hackett also hired Jerry Rosburg to be the team’s game management coach after botching the first two games of the season, highlighted by Broncos fans counting down with the play clock in Week 2. That, and he surrendered play calling duties to quarterback coach Klint Kubiak back in November.
The expectation was that the team would move on from Hackett once the season ended, but a disastrous Christmas Day game that had a national audience may have caused the team to make the decision earlier than expected.
Hackett wasn’t a hire made by Denver’s new ownership group, headed by Greg Penner, as they bought the team back in August. Now, they have the chance to hire their preferred head coach to help lead the team in the right direction.