The offensive lineup was the main struggling point for the New York Jets. Hence, they hired former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett to guide their offense. Just one season later, the NY team added Aaron Rodgers to reunite him with Hackett, with Rodgers taking the leadership of the team on the field..
Meanwhile, since this off-season, Hackett found a super critic Sean Payton, the Broncos’ new coach, who lashed out the Jet’s offensive leader with some harsh words. However, the Jets’ convincing win over the Broncos forced Broncos General Manager George Paton to eat his words, admitting he was wrong about Hackett, and he found himself on the receiving end of NFL fans’ ridicule.
Sean Payton’s remark on Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett
This offseason was filled with banter between Payton and Hackett. Hackett was fired by the Broncos, while Payton was honored with the responsibility of being a head coach. However, that is all in the past for Hackett, as he has now shifted his full concentration to guiding the Jets
Peyton did not rest, and soon after becoming the head coach of the Broncos, he threw some painful words at the Broncos’ previous coaching staff.
“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed. And that happened here. Part of it was their own fault, relative to spending so much (expletive) time trying to win the offseason — the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff.”
The Broncos brought Russell Wilson in a hefty deal to address their quarterback problem, but his first season saw a destructive debut in Denver. While all the fingers were pointed at Russell’s athletic prowess, Peyton was the one blaming Hackett for Russell’s failure.
Not only did Payton not hold back in criticizing the coaching prowess of the Jets’ offensive coordinator, but he also stated that it was ‘one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL‘.
“It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was,” Payton said.
Following his remarks, he regretted disparaging his predecessor and sought a public apology. Hackett, though, took it very personally and hasn’t reached out to Payton since the release of those remarks.
Jets celebrate win with Hackett
After Week 5, the Jets are 2-3, yet among all their matchup the battle between the Broncos was the most challenging one for them as it was related to their offensive coordinator’s reputation.
To counter Payton’s scathing comments, Robert Saleh and the entire team gave it their all on the field. In order to make the victory unforgettable, they gave the game ball to their offensive coordinator after easily defeating the Broncos 21-31.
The Jets’ official X page joined in the celebration, tweeting, “When you lose to the ‘offseason champs,’”.
Although Aaron Rodgers was unable to join his squad in the celebration after the stunning victory, the Jets offensive coordinator embraced them online by hailing Hackett as the victor over the Payton-led Broncos.
