We’ll find out if Nathaniel Hackett can ha— . . . you get the idea.
The Broncos’ first-year coach hasn’t exactly won the hearts or gained the confidence of Denver fans in the first weeks of his tenure. He has, though, earned plenty of ridicule.
Whether it was his bungling in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Seahawks or his perplexing decisions that slowed the Broncos against the Texans in Week 2, Hackett appears to be in over his head.
MORE: Hackett responds to Denver fans booing, counting down play clock: ‘I don’t blame them’
That said, there’s no denying that Hackett was a hot coaching commodity entering the 2022 hiring cycle. Broncos fans shouldn’t feel as though the team brought in a nobody.
Here’s why the Broncos’ brass decided to hire him:
Why did the Broncos hire Nathaniel Hackett?
It’s easy to see why Hackett was hired. There were two main reasons.
The first is that the NFL is now an offense-driven league, so offensive coordinators, which Hackett was, will always be on something of a fast track to head coaching jobs.
The second: Hackett came from Green Bay, where he worked alongside Aaron Rodgers for three seasons (2019 through 2021), although he didn’t call plays.
That working relationship is potentially the bigger reason why Hackett was brought in. His résumé includes high-octane offenses with Rodgers, but the move may have been more about getting the MVP quarterback to join him in Denver.
Rodgers’ contract situation and drama with the organization cleared the way for a potential trade this past offseason. Rodgers had previously sung the praises of Hackett and even alluded to a future in which the two would work together somewhere other than Green Bay.
Here is @AaronRodgers12’s full answer — on Nov. 11, 2020 — about Nathaniel Hackett when asked (in a typically long-winded way 😉) about then-#Packers offensive coordinator and now the new head coach of the Denver @Broncos.
The smirk at the end … pic.twitter.com/FJu5HlDeNn
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) January 28, 2022
There’s nobody in the building that brings me more joy, or is more fun to be around than Nathaniel Hackett. We got some great guys, some guys I’ve enjoyed playing with for a long time. I knew based on his friendship with AVP — Alex Van Pelt — that we were gonna be friends, just because Alex is such a great dude and him and I have such a great friendship, I just knew Hack and I were gonna bond.
But he’s become such a close confidant and friend, besides a fantastic coach. And I just really, really can’t express enough, how important he is to our team in so many ways. He’s incredible in front of a room. He brings a lot of great energy that’s really important, to not just meetings, that can sometimes, without the energy he infuses, maybe get long at times. Never feels that way when he’s at the front of the room. …
Hack has really embraced the idea of celebration together as well, which is such a vital part of us coming together and being a close-knit group. I think he’s got a great mind. Obviously he comes from the old-school, West Coast tree, and feeling like I grew up in the West Coast offense as well with Mike Sherman and Mike McCarthy. …
Hack has been a really important part of our culture change, and a part of our success on offense. I love him. I hope he doesn’t go anywhere — unless I do.
That last part is the kicker. Rodgers ultimately didn’t go anywhere, but it was clear that he had a deep admiration for Hackett. Connect the dots: Rodgers loves Hackett, Rodgers could be traded . . .
There were rumors about a possible Rodgers trade to the Broncos, although their veracity was questionable. Some reports indicated that a deal was in place; ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the teams never discussed a trade.
What is fact is that Rodgers signed a new contract that will keep him in Green Bay for 2022 and beyond, effectively ending the trade saga.
Though Denver general manager George Paton said that Hackett’s hiring had nothing to do with Rodgers — a statement made to prevent tampering allegations — where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it was apparent that Hackett was bait to lure Rodgers.
Who else did the Broncos interview?
Denver conducted an extensive coaching search, that much was clear. It was also clear that Hackett was a hot commodity around the league.
Hackett beat out Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Patriots inside linebackers coach Jarod Mayo and Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon for the job.
All the other coaches the Broncos interviewed returned to their respective organizations.
Hackett reportedly also interviewed with the Bears, Vikings and Jaguars. The Bears would hire Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus; the Vikings would go with Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell after flirting with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh; and the Jaguars would hire Super Bowl 52 winner Doug Pederson.
As the saying goes, coaches are hired to be fired. It’s still early, but Hackett’s end in Denver is becoming more obvious with each passing week.
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