Former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett was almost fired by the New York Jets on Tuesday, according to a new report.
Instead, Hackett survived and it was head coach Robert Saleh let go instead. Hackett made it just 15 horrible games with Denver in 2022 before owner and CEO Greg Penner cut him loose.
Based on the reporting from Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Hackett only survived because Jets owner Woody Johnson decided to give Saleh the boot first. If Saleh had it his way, Hackett would’ve been the one to take the fall for New York’s disappointing 2-3 start, including a 10-9 loss to the Broncos.
“Sources say Saleh could have made the move to fire Hackett as early as Tuesday, which is when Johnson ultimately made the decision on Saleh himself,” Jones writes in his story.
Of course, what complicates this is that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers is best friends with Hackett. It’s the reason many think Broncos GM George Paton hired Hackett to Denver in the first place, to try to lure Rodgers.
Instead, the Broncos settled for Russell Wilson and he and Hackett could never get on the same page. Denver became the laughingstock of the NFL, and Penner fired Hackett even though it was his first year running the team. He knew it was that bad.
The reality is Hackett might just not be a very good football coach. His friendship with Rodgers has clearly led him to some pretty prestigious jogs, but he hasn’t delivered. The Jets are averaging just 286.6 yards per game of offense this season, which is 27th in the NFL.
If New York keeps losing, Johnson could fire Hackett next. For now, he survives, because Saleh was shown the door before he got the chance to axe Hackett.
