With the Vic Fangio-era having come to an end in Denver, the Broncos have named former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their next head coach. With the choice of Hackett, the question around the league and especially among Broncos fans is will Hackett try to reunite with Aaron Rodgers.
Vic Fangio was well-liked by the Broncos front office, but the NFL is a business and missing the playoffs for the third straight year meant it was time for a change. The hiring of Hackett was applauded throughout the league. He is a young coach that many feel is ready for this big step.
Following Hackett’s appointment, Broncos general manager George Paton said: “Nathaniel Hackett is a dynamic leader and coach whose intelligence, innovation, and charisma impressed us from the very start of this process. In addition to having a brilliant offensive mind, Nathaniel is an outstanding teacher and communicator with a strong vision for all three phases of our team.”
Paton continued: “From developing younger players to working with all-time greats as a key part of winning teams, Nathaniel has had tremendous success in this league. He’s a student of the game and knows how to put players in positions to win.”
Green Bay’s quarterback Rodgers has had many positive things to say about his time working with Hackett. From describing him as “incredible” to saying that Hackett is a “fantastic teacher”.
Green Bay was stunned in their recent divisional playoff defeat against the San Francisco 49ers, especially with Rodgers as the reigning MVP. Although he has just had one of his best seasons as a pro, he did not give his best performance in the playoff game. Yet the playoff loss could not be blamed on Rodgers alone, as the Packers special teams unit had one of the worst playoff performances of all time. It even led to the firing of their special teams coordinator.
It will be interesting to see what Aaron Rodgers does this off-season, as it appears all options are on the table. Rodgers has said retiring, returning to the Packers or playing for a different team could all be possibilities.
With his glowing review of Hackett, many have made the logical conclusion the two could reunite in Denver. With Hackett as the offensive coordinator and Rodgers as quarterback, the Packers had top 10 offenses for the last two seasons, including leading the league in scoring in 2020. Rodgers has even been quoted as saying that he hoped Hackett wouldn’t go anywhere “unless I do”.
Hackett seems to share a mutual admiration for Rodgers having said: “My respect for him as a player, it goes up non-stop. Everybody talks about how he can throw the ball as good as he can, but his toughness is unbelievable. That needs to be talked about even more with this guy, he’s a stud.”
Once it is known whether Rodgers will commit to a 19th season, it would be no surprise if it is in Denver.
