When the Denver Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 they did so in part hoping he could help them lure Aaron Rodgers out of Green Bay given his close connection to the MVP quarterback from their time together with the Packers. That didn’t happen and instead the Broncos went out and traded for Russell Wilson, who had a disastrous year that was not aided by Hackett struggling to run the team and make timely decisions in games.
Hackett was fired late in the season and new Broncos coach Sean Payton made waves last week when he ripped Hackett for what he called “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” While Payton has since tried to walk back those comments (and a shot taken at the Jets in the same interview), he’s certainly made a few enemies in the Jets camp. Robert Saleh took exception to Payton’s comments about his team last week, and on Sunday Aaron Rodgers made it clear that he was furious with how Payton threw Hackett under the bus, calling his comments “out of line” in a sitdown with Peter Schrager on NFL+.
Here is Aaron Rodgers’ comments about Sean Payton and his comment about Nathaniel Hackett this week. Rodgers calls Payton “insecure” and says he should keep his coach’s name out his mouth.
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— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 30, 2023
“I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach’s name out of his mouth,” Rodgers said. He would add that Hackett was arguably his favorite coach he’s played for in his NFL career, noting he loves Hackett and still speaks with him regularly. Rodgers then turned the comments around and noted he felt Payton was trying to deflect blame towards the previous regime in case the Broncos fall short again this season.
“It made me feel bad that someone (Payton) who’s accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some sort of easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year,” Rodgers said.
The Jets and Broncos will meet in Week 5 of this season, and Payton has ensured Rodgers and the Jets will be preparing for that game with their full attention to try and deliver a message in Denver.