The role Nathaniel Hackett played in getting Aaron Rodgers to Jets
When the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator in January, the whispers about Aaron Rodgers becoming the Jets quarterback became screams.
Hackett spent three seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay and the two share a close bond.
Hackett joined The Post’s “Gang’s All Here” podcast on Monday and discussed a variety of topics about his new job.
But his new quarterback was at the top of the list and specifically how he viewed his role as the team was talking with Rodgers in early March about whether the three-time MVP would be interested in playing for the Jets.
“It was just really having Aaron get to know everybody else,” Hackett said. “Aaron knows me. He knows how I work. He knows how I am in the meetings, how I am on game days. We know everything about each other. I know him. He knows me. I think it was more just being a facilitator, making sure everybody’s questions were asked and answered so that with that short period of time we could come to a consensus of what was best for the organization and for Aaron. I think that was so important to me. It didn’t have anything to do with me. It had to do with Aaron and this organization. That’s it.”
It worked out with the Jets trading for Rodgers in late April and Hackett has been reunited with him.
Hackett described what makes Rodgers so special on the field.
Nathaniel Hackett at Jets practice on May 5, 2023. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
“It’s like he plays in slow motion because he sees so much,” he said. “He understands the spatial awareness of the game and all the different ways that defenses play. He starts it right out of the gate in practice. It’s not just run a route on air. It’s visualize it and when he’s coaching and talking and putting guys in the game it’s something I’ve never seen. It’s unbelievable. It’s every single, intricate detail that a coach would say comes from Aaron because he’s done this for so long. He’s like another coach on the field and he wants to become one with those guys.”
Hackett is coming off a disappointing one-year stint as Broncos head coach. He spoke about what he learned in that year and how that applies to his new job.
“That whole year was a wild tornado of just all kinds of crazy,” Hackett said. “I learned that for me, as a coach, it is about making sure those guys are all comfortable. I want to make sure that I’m always doing that and communicating that the right way because if they all feel good and they are all in the right mindset, you’re always going to have a chance.
“Looking back at it, we had a chance in a lot of games last year. We didn’t come through. There were a lot of close games, but I think we continually tried to do things that gave us that opportunity to win. Now, we’ve just got to get over that hump. For me, that’s the mindset. Hey, we’ve either got to be in these games or winning these games. Because if we do that we’ve got Aaron Rodgers, the two-minute drill is going to be exciting. I know that’s where he excels at a very high level.”
Hackett described his approach.
Nathaniel Hackett coached Aaron Rodgers with the Packers. AP
“For me, I have fun every day,” he said. “I know how lucky I am to have this opportunity, any opportunity, anywhere in the NFL. It’s an unbelievable profession. It’s not a great business unfortunately but it is a great profession. To be able to be with those guys every day, I go in there and it’s about trying to spice things up, get guys excited about different plays.
“Watching them go out and be successful in those plays is what we live for. I think I try to show that energy, show that excitement, just because that’s who I am and what I love to do.”
Source: New York Post
