Denver coach Sean Payton may have issued a public apology for what he said about his fellow offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, but it didn’t sit too well with some of Hackett’s other fellow co-workers. The former Super Bowl winner however is still on the hook for his hate though according to Jet’s QB Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers | New York Jets via YouTube
Hackett’s new Jets star and longtime collaborator didn’t take too kindly to Payton’s criticism of one of his favorite play-callers. Following a year where he and Denver finished a dismal 5-12, Sean Payton originally stated that he believed the work Hackett and his staff did with the 2022 Broncos “was one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”
However, he would later backpedal from those words and tries to temper his take following a recent team practice, saying, “It was a mistake obviously. I needed a little bit more filter.”
Aaron Rodgers took an opportunity to address Sean Payton during a Sunday interview on NFL Network. He called the former Super Bowl-winning, yet scandalous, Saint coach, “insecure,” and said he was “way out of line [and] inappropriate.” He ended the response by saying Payton needs to “Keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAV2s5agN0Y
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Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett have a symbiosis of sorts, over their career. The two worked closely together during their respective tenures with the Green Bay Packers, where Hackett worked as the offensive guru. The coordinator and quarterback found a connection while orchestrating an offense. It’s one they are going to try and re-kindle when the season kicks off soon.
Now in New York and feeling like it’s Super Bowl or bust, they plan on taking one more shot at a Lombardi Trophy. And with all eyes on the team from The City That Never Sleeps? They are staring back in defiance of anyone who questions their resolve. Nor that of their capable coordinator.
Perhaps this circling of the wagons is a sign of what to expect from Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. They are fiercely ready to to face the hype. Or, as Jets head coach Robert Saleh so succinctly put it: “If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t popping.”
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