Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett says Sunday's game at Broncos is 'not about me'
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of the New York Jets looks on during the second half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Charlotte. Credit: Getty Images/Jared C. Tilton
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Nathaniel Hackett doesn’t want his return to Denver on Sunday to be about him, but it most certainly will be. Sean Payton made sure of that.
Hackett going back to face the team that fired him after 15 games last season is a footnote after Payton dragged him through the mud. The new Broncos head coach described last season in Denver as “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”
Payton made that statement in the summer. The next day, he said he would reach out to Hackett, the Jets offensive coordinator. Hackett said Payton hasn’t called and he hasn’t spoken to him. It could make for an awkward exchange if and when their paths cross Sunday.
“This game is about those guys out on that field,” Hackett said Thursday morning. “This game is not about me. It’s about me helping them during the week. I just want the guys to go out there and play a great game. That’s all we’re looking for.
“What has happened is in the past. We all move forward. Coaches definitely just focus on trying to get the guys in the best position and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
The irony is the Broncos are off to an ugly start at 1-3 under Payton. They lost, 70-20, to the Dolphins two weeks ago. Hackett could have basked in Payton’s failures. Instead, he sidestepped questions about the Payton drama.
Hackett was much more upset when he addressed Payton’s remarks a few days after they were made. Hackett said Payton broke a code within the coaching fraternity, and he wasn’t surprised that he did. Hackett also said he didn’t expect to hear from Payton.
Two months later, Hackett wasn’t getting into war of words.
“You can only control what you could control,” Hackett said. “For me I can control trying to get these guys in the best position to go beat the Denver Broncos.”
Hackett didn’t bring any of it up in a meeting this week. He said the focus was “to get ready for another game to win.” Hackett’s players appreciate that this is his approach and always puts them first.
“You never want a rollercoaster of a coach,” said Randall Cobb, who also played under Hackett in Green Bay. “It’s nice to have someone that rides the ebbs and flows of the season. We know that it’s a rollercoaster season. He comes into work the same and he brings the same energy every day.”
Zach Wilson said “to an extent” the Jets (1-3) want to win the game for Hackett, but they also just need a win after dropping three straight.
Hackett, whose father Paul spent nine years as an offensive coordinator with Kansas City and the Jets, was in the NFL for 13 years before getting his first head coaching job. It didn’t go well.
The Broncos acquired Russell Wilson and were expected to be a playoff team. They had a strong defense already. Hackett’s offensive pedigree and work with quarterbacks – he was with Green Bay the back-to-back years that Aaron Rodgers won NFL MVP in 2020 and 2021 – raised expectations for the Broncos.
Denver was 4-11 when Hackett was fired on Dec. 26 – one day after a 37-point loss to the Rams on Christmas on a nationally-televised game.
Hackett, of course, downplayed his emotions going back to Denver.
“We gotta go win a football game,” he said.
Hackett has four years left on his Denver contract. Robert Saleh has said Hackett could have stayed home and collected money. Hackett wanted to get right back to coaching. “I love this game,” he said.
Rodgers probably wouldn’t be a Jet if not for Hackett, the two are that close.
“You ask yourself why do you do this?” Hackett said. “You do it for the relationships. You do it to be able to be with those guys and watch them have success out there. Watching Zach grow and seeing him develop as a quarterback is why we do this. It’s why anybody teaches. Why do teachers teach? They love seeing the kids grow and gain knowledge and become better people.
“That’s why I do it.
“I think it was a great decision we made to come to this great organization and help everybody get better.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
