New York Jets name former Broncos, Packers coach Nathaniel Hackett as new OC

After a disastrous one year in Denver as head coach which resulted in his firing before the season even ended, Nathaniel Hackett has already landed another job. The New York Jets are hiring Hackett to be their offensive coordinator next season — a position he held in Green Bay which helped land him the Broncos gig.

New York announced the news on Thursday morning:

“Head coach Robert Saleh and the Jets have hired a coach with a number of Jets connections in Nathaniel Hackett to be their new offensive coordinator,” they wrote in a post on their team website officially announcing the news. Then added some background:

“Hackett, 43, comes to the Green & White after one season as head coach of the Denver Broncos. An experienced NFL coordinator, he has fielded a top-10 scoring offense three times and his offense helped three teams to Conference Championship games (2017-JAX, 2019-GB, 2020-GB).”

NFL insider Ian Rapoport added some more background that Hackett was a best-case-scenario hire for the Jets:

“Their top choice for the last week or so. The decision was Hackett’s about whether he wanted to return to coaching so soon. (Jets head coach) Robert Saleh interviewed about 15 people. Ended up with choice No. 1.”

There you have it. After contending for the playoffs with a young roster this season, Nathaniel Hackett will try to put New York over the top next season and bring an extra offensive spark to a team that finished nearly dead last in a number of categories on that side of the ball.

After a real train wreck of a season in Denver with Russell Wilson and the Broncos, Hackett needed a fresh start and was granted one in the Big Apple. He has a successful track record as a coordinator, but just didn’t seem to have it together as a head coach. Perhaps the downgrade in job title will lead to him re-finding success in the coaching world.