Falcons Reportedly Interested in Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett to Be Head Coach

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly have interest in interviewing Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for their head coaching vacancy following the 2020 season.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Hackett is a favorite of Falcons team president Rich McKay. Hackett was brought into the NFL as a quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Jon Gruden in 2006, and McKay was part of the Bucs front office that acquired Gruden from the Oakland Raiders.

The Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn this season after an 0-5 start. Since then, Atlanta is 2-1 under interim head coach Raheem Morris.

Hackett has been Green Bay's offensive coordinator since last season, as he was poached from the Jacksonville Jaguars by head coach Matt LaFleur. While LaFleur is the play-caller in Green Bay, Hackett has had a role in one of the NFL's best offenses.

While the Packers were only in the middle of the road offensively last season, they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. This season, Green Bay is second in the NFL in scoring with 32.8 points per game and eighth in total yardage with 393.7 per contest.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems reinvigorated this season after an up-and-down 2019, and he is putting up MVP-caliber numbers with 1,657 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Perhaps the Falcons hope Hackett can work some similar magic with their veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. The 2016 NFL MVP leads the NFL in passing yards with 2,462 yards this season, although some of that is due to Atlanta's struggles on defense and in terms of running the football.

Hackett has been an offensive coordinator with three different teams during his NFL career. He started with the Buffalo Bills from 2013-14 then went to the Jags from 2016-18 before serving in that role for the Packers for the past two seasons.

While the 40-year-old son of former USC head coach and NFL offensive coordinator Paul Hackett didn't enjoy a ton of success in Buffalo or Jacksonville, he seems to have hit his stride in Green Bay.

Per La Canfora, Atlanta's interest in Hackett is still in its "preliminary stages," but his name has been mentioned "several times" in internal discussions regarding head coaching candidates.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is reportedly considered a candidate as well.

Bieniemy is in a similar position as Hackett in that he has been the Chiefs' OC since 2018, but head coach Andy Reid calls the plays.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season with Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was NFL MVP two years ago.

Given Bieniemy's success in Kansas City, he figures to be one of the hottest head-coaching candidates in the NFL during the offseason.