Nathaniel Hackett OC Hire Has Jets Fans Hopeful About Aaron Rodgers amid Trade Rumors

For the second consecutive year, a team's fans have convinced themselves that hiring Nathaniel Hackett will be a precursor to trading for Aaron Rodgers.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the New York Jets are hiring Hackett as their offensive coordinator.

The report of Hackett's hiring comes exactly one month to the day that he was fired as head coach of the Denver Broncos after a 4-11 start. The Jets needed a new offensive coordinator after parting ways with Mike LaFleur on Jan. 11.

Any time Hackett gets hired, it immediately leads to speculation about Rodgers because the two spent three seasons together with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to '21. Hackett was the team's offensive coordinator during that three-season span.

It happened last year with the Broncos when they hired Hackett as head coach.

NFL analysts had a lot of fun with the notion that teams keep hiring Hackett with the hope of landing Rodgers:

Jets fans are holding out hope that this time there might be some fire to the smoke that Rodgers will leave the Packers this offseason, with Hackett joining Robert Saleh's coaching staff.

It certainly does seem like there is a greater possibility of Rodgers and the Packers separating this offseason than it did last year. He was coming off back-to-back MVP awards and the Packers were the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs at this time in 2022.

There was no reason for the Packers not to run it back with their star quarterback. Rodgers wound up signing a three-year, $150.8 million contract extension in March.

It was reasonable to expect the Packers to be a strong playoff contender this season with Rodgers. Things didn't work out, as he and the team took significant steps back. He threw for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Green Bay finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Schefter reported earlier this week the team could decide to trade Rodgers this offseason, and a move would most-likely be to an AFC team if one happens.

The Jets could have been a playoff team in the AFC this season if they received competent play from the quarterback position. Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White combined to throw for 3,931 yards, 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

After a 7-4 start, the Jets lost six consecutive games to end the season. They haven't had a quarterback named to the Pro Bowl since Brett Favre in 2008.