The Denver Broncos fired former head coach Nathaniel Hackett before his “rookie” season on the job in the NFL was finished. After the Broncos were embarrassed in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, Hackett was let go and the team began its currently ongoing coaching search.
Since the team moved on from him, Hackett has gotten at least one or two opportunities from other teams around the league. His former boss, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, had been in contact with him. More recently, it seems Hackett is a candidate to join Robert Saleh’s staff with the New York Jets.
Nathaniel Hackett begins post-Broncos career search
Nathaniel Hackett is interviewing for the Jets OC job, source confirmed (1st by @diannaESPN).
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 18, 2023
And Vic Fangio is interviewing for the Falcons’ DC job, per source (1st by @RapSheet)
So it looks like not only could Nathaniel Hackett resurface right away in 2023, but Vic Fangio could after a year off in 2022 as well. Fangio has been rumored to be part of a hypothetical Sean Payton staff, but who knows if he would be willing to do that in Denver?
As such, Fangio has been keeping his options open and the Falcons would be a fascinating landing spot for him.
For Nathaniel Hackett, the Packers and Jets make some sense. The Packers currently have Hackett’s old buddy Aaron Rodgers, but who knows what the future holds for Rodgers? We’re reaching near-Brett Favre-like offseason antics from Rodgers anymore. It’s possible the Jets would choose Hackett if they feel like they’ve got a shot at landing Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, and they can certainly attempt that if they wish.
Let’s be fair to Hackett for the moment — he was not a good head coach, but he’s had success in the NFL. He’s a smart coach who is typically beloved by players. Was he in over his head in Denver? It seems as though that was the case. Is he a bad football coach? I think that would be a stretch. He’s had success before Aaron Rodgers and I’m sure he will land on his feet.
If nothing else, his experience in Denver was a learning experience for everybody involved.
The Broncos are now in a position where the new ownership group absolutely has to nail the next head coach hire. Nathaniel Hackett could have been a means to some other end (Rodgers), but that won’t be admitted by the organization anytime soon.
Even still, things should not have gone as poorly with Hackett as they did in 2022. He had Russell Wilson under center, and Wilson looked like a completely different player than we’ve become used to seeing out there with Hackett at the helm. Then, all of a sudden, he started playing better the two weeks Hackett wasn’t with the team.
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Whatever was going on in Denver with Hackett, it’s clear that while he is clearly a good guy who fixed some things in the locker room, he wasn’t able to help the team win and wasn’t a good manager of the entire operation. As an offensive coordinator and part of a staff, however, he can be a major asset.