Nathaniel Hackett Rejoins Packers' Coaching Staff as Consultant, Analyst

Former Denver Broncos head coach and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is returning to the Packers staff as a defensive analyst, head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters on Thursday.

Hackett spent three seasons as the Packers' OC from 2019 to 2021 before leaving to serve as head coach of the Broncos and offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.

LaFleur's announcement comes the day after The Athletic's Matt Schneidman shared a video of Hackett on the field with the Packers' defense during the team's first day of training camp.

LaFleur said that Hackett will play a similar consultancy role to those previously played by Luke Getsy and Robert Saleh, who served last season as offensive and defensive analysts, respectively.

The head coach told reporters Thursday that he was inspired to put Hackett to work on the other side of the ball by his time as quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016.

During that time, LaFleur saw the Falcons move current head coach Raheem Morris from coaching defensive backs to coach wide receivers, which he said provided a "cool perspective" to the team's offense.

"I just think that it's a fresh perspective," LaFleur said at the 11:00 mark of his Thursday press conference. "Especially when you take a defensive guy and put him on offense, and vice versa, an offensive guy and defense, it gives you a little different lens to see it through and talk through.

"So he's sitting in with all our defensive staff, and he's been in the linebacker room, and just going through the film. Gives them a good offensive perspective."

Hackett spent four years working with the Jacksonville Jaguars offense before joining the Packers ahead of the 2019 season.

The Packers' offense ranked top 10 in scoring in each of Hackett's three seasons as OC, including a 2020 campaign during which an offense led by Aaron Rodgers paced the NFL with 31.8 points per game.

Hackett was fired by the Broncos after a 4-11 start to his first season with the franchise in 2022.

He was hired by the Jets ahead of the 2023 season, but demoted from play-calling duties as the team underwent a head coaching change early in the 2024 campaign.

LaFleur, who is heading into his seventh season as head coach of the Packers, will now hope Hackett's experience with a variety of offensive structures can help the Packers' defense improve in year two under DC Jeff Hafley.