Aaron Rodgers Calls Out 'BS That's Been Said' About Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is once again coming to the defense of Nathaniel Hackett.

Appearing on Mad Dog Sports Radio's Schein on Sports with Adam Schein, Rodgers pushed back on "a lot of BS that's been said" about Hackett.

Rodgers' response was to a question about why Jets fans should trust that Hackett, who is entering his second season as offensive coordinator, can run the unit effectively after it struggled following the four-time NFL MVP's Achilles injury.

Connor Hughes of SNY.tv added fuel to the fire about Hackett's potentially tenuous status with the organization when he said earlier this month the Jets "made legitimate attempts this offseason to hire someone who would, essentially, replace Hackett."

Hughes noted Hackett would have retained the title of offensive coordinator, but the Jets wanted to bring in someone with a higher title who would call the offense.

Since that didn't happen, Hackett will be calling plays for the offense once again. His only previous experience calling plays before being hired by the Jets was for the first 10 games of the 2022 season with the Denver Broncos before he gave it up in an attempt to jumpstart the struggling offense.

During his three seasons as offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to '21, head coach Matt LaFleur served as the play-caller.

It's no secret that Hackett's relationship with Rodgers has played at least some role in the jobs he has had in the NFL. Rodgers told reporters during his introductory press conference with the Jets that Hackett was "big reason" he wanted to play in New York.

"I love him like a brother," Rodgers said. "And I believe in him."

There was speculation that the Denver Broncos hired Hackett as their head coach in January 2022 in an effort to entice Rodgers to sign with them when it wasn't clear if he would return to the Green Bay Packers.

Broncos general manager George Paton vehemently denied that was the case. Hackett wound up being fired 15 games into his first season in Denver after going 4-11.

Sean Payton, who was hired by the Broncos in February 2023, told USA Today's Jarrett Bell last summer that the Hackett-led Denver team "might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."

As long as Rodgers stays healthy, he's proven to be capable of playing at a high level with Hackett as the offensive coordinator. Whether or not this means Hackett is good in that role is up for debate.

The non-Rodgers quarterbacks Hackett has had to work with since 2022 as a head coach or offensive coordinator include Russell Wilson, Brett Rypien, Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle.

Regardless, the Jets keeping Rodgers happy is ultimately one thing that is going to determine how successful they are in 2024. Being around Hackett seems to make him happy, so things are going well right now.