Getty 9News' Mike Klis said that "evidence suggests" Nathaniel Hackett, not Russell Wilson, is to blame for the Broncos' failures in 2022
The onus for the failures the Denver Broncos experienced during the 2022 season was not on Russell Wilson, as 9News’ Mike Klis relays in his latest mailbag answering a question from a reader — but instead on fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
“As recently as 2021 – his final season in Seattle – Wilson had 25 touchdown passes against just six interceptions while posting a 103.1 passer rating that ranked No. 5 in the league,” Klis wrote. “This despite in-season surgery on the middle finger of his passing hand to repair a dislocated finger joint and tendon rupture. Wilson returned at least three weeks earlier than he should have – his toughness cannot be questioned — and he still finished up performing among the league’s top quarterbacks in the final three weeks of the season. So why did he fall off so drastically in 2022, his first season with the Broncos? Evidence suggests blame went to head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and indeed he took the fall.”
Klis believes Wilson and Hackett simply weren’t a fit — though that isn’t what the 9News reporter believes about Hackett’s new quarterback as Jets offensive coordinator, Aaron Rodgers.
“My feeling is it wasn’t all Hackett’s fault as he and Wilson just weren’t a fit,” Klis wrote. “Hackett fits Aaron Rodgers, a complicated fellow.”
Analyst Believes Russell Wilson and Sean Payton Will Mesh
Klis believes Wilson will mesh with new Broncos head coach Sean Payton due to the improvements in pass protection and the fortified running back room Denver’s front office bought in free agency.
“Will Payton and Wilson mesh? I believe they will,” Klis wrote. “Payton and Paton (George) have fortified the offensive line and the run game. It seems to me Payton knows what buttons to push in his quarterback. Ask the quarterback for input in the game plan and lead him to calling this play at that time. Where Wilson didn’t fall off last year was in his ability to hit the deep ball. He’s still a big threat there.”
Payton acknowledged at the 2023 NFL Combine during a February 28 media scrum that Wilson had a down year by his own standards — but also said that the Broncos, as a whole, had a down season.
“Certainly, for Russell standards—and the Bronco standards—it wasn’t the type of year that they wanted,” Payton said. “And typically, that’s why new head coaches arrive. We have a lot of work ahead of us right now. We’re just kind of getting started. It was a tough year.”
Nathaniel Hackett Displayed ‘Historic Ineptitude’ in 2022
The Mile High Report’s Jess Place believes Broncos fans witnessed “historic ineptitude” from Hackett during his lone season — one he didn’t complete in full — as head coach in the Mile High City.
“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 playclock? That’s going to stick with me for some time).”
Jets fans can only hope Hackett’s 2023 performance in the Tri-State Area isn’t looked back on in the same vein.