Jets' Nathaniel Hackett Responds to Sean Payton: 'I Do' Feel Like He Broke the Code

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett responded Tuesday to Sean Payton's comments about his stint with the Denver Broncos last year.

When a reporter asked Hackett whether he felt like Payton broke a code with his criticism of his coaching last year, Hackett replied: "I do."

Hackett also said Payton hasn't called him to issue an apology:

In an interview with USA Today's Jarrett Bell that ran last week, Payton said Hackett's work with the Broncos "might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."

While the quotes about Hackett did get most of the attention, Payton did go in on the entire Broncos organization for their failures last season.

"That wasn't his fault," Payton said when discussing Russell Wilson. "That was the parents who allowed it. That's not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM (George Paton), the president (Damani Leech) and everybody else who watched it all happen. Now, a quarterback having an office and a place to watch film is normal. But all those things get magnified when you're losing. And that other stuff, I've never heard of it. We're not doing that."

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who previously worked with Hackett for three seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to '21, stood up for his coach when asked about the situation by Peter Schrager of NFL Network.

In response to the backlash from his comments, Payton issued an apology while speaking to reporters from Broncos training camp on Friday:

"And, you know, I said this to the team in the meeting yesterday. We've had a great offseason relative to that. And I've been preaching that message, and here I am, the veteran. You know, stepping in it. It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake, obviously. I needed a little bit more filter … I said what I said, and obviously I needed a little bit more restraint, and I regret that."

Hackett's tenure with the Broncos fell apart almost immediately. There were clock-management issues during games that prompted the hiring of an assistant, Jerry Rosburg, to assist with gameday operations.

After a 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day that dropped Denver's record to 4-11, Hackett was fired by the team. It marked the first time in franchise history a Broncos coach didn't make it to a second season.

The Jets hired Hackett as their offensive coordinator in January. Payton was named Denver's head coach in February after he spent the 2022 season working as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports.