Analyst Sees Parallels Between Nathaniel Hackett’s Broncos Season, First Year as Jets OC

Getty Nathaniel Hackett, former head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Nathaniel Hackett is starting a new job in 2023, just as he did in 2022, with the fired Denver Broncos head coach debuting as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets in the fall. Just as his last team did, trading for a star quarterback, Russell Wilson, Hackett’s new employer traded for a star quarterback — Aaron Rodgers — in the offseason.

These are some of the parallels between Hackett’s first (and last) season in Denver and his first in New York, according to Josh Alter of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk.

“When Nathaniel Hackett was the head coach of the Broncos at this time last year, there was a lot of excitement around the team about what quarterback Russell Wilson‘s arrival would mean for Denver’s season,” Alper wrote in a story published May 9. “That excitement curdled early in the regular season, however. Wilson struggled all year, the Broncos offense never got on track, and Hackett was fired with two games left on the schedule. Hackett’s experience is a reminder that big trades don’t always work out as hoped and those memories haven’t been purged now that he’s working as the Jets’ offensive coordinator.”

Hackett’s Broncos started the season 4-11 before he was fired on December 26. And the Wilson experiment was a failure as well. He endured the worst season of his 11-year career, posting a career-low 16 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and a career-low completion percentage. He was also sacked a league-leading 55 times.

Fired Broncos HC a ‘Reminder’ About Looking Good on Paper

Hackett’s lone season in the Mile High City could serve as a warning to the Jets front office about high expectations and best-laid plans.

“Trading for Aaron Rodgers last month has raised the expectations for the Jets for this season, but Hackett is quick to offer a reminder that looking good on paper and looking good on the field aren’t the same thing,” Alper wrote.

The Jets need to do whatever it takes in 2023 to avoid the same fate as the 2022 Broncos, Alper wrote.

“The offseason excitement about the Broncos led to them being put in a lot of nationally televised games last year, and their failure to live up to the hype became a leading storyline of the 2022 season,” he wrote. “The Jets will find out how much time they’ll spend in the spotlight on Thursday and then they’ll get back to work on making sure they avoid the same fate as the Broncos.”

Fired Denver Broncos Coach Displayed ‘Historic Ineptitude’

Hackett displayed “historic ineptitude” as head coach of the Denver Broncos for 15 games, according to the Mile High Report’s Jess Place.

“Like many of you, I was surprised by how poorly Russell Wilson played,” Place prefaced before saying, “There’s plenty of blame to go around as to why the 2022 debacle happened: poor offensive line play, injuries, Nathaniel Hackett’s historic ineptitude as a head coach (remember the crowd counting down the play clock? That’s going to stick with me for some time).”

Place proclaimed that Hackett’s “goofy blubbering” is a problem the Jets franchise is now responsible for.

“The gilded comforts of Wilson’s personal training staff and office at the facility have been taken from him,” Place wrote. “Nathaniel Hackett and his goofy blubbering are now New York’s problem.”