Robert Saleh credits “noise” and Nathaniel Hackett hire for Aaron Rodgers trade

Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in the biggest blockbuster move by any team during the entire 2023 NFL offseason. The franchise made their intentions clear at the beginning of the offseason that they were seeking a significant veteran upgrade at quarterback for Zach Wilson.

They more than met their goal by acquiring the NFL MVP in two of the last three seasons. They suddenly improved their quarterback situation from one of the worst in the NFL to one of the finest.

Head coach Robert Saleh discussed some of the factors that eventually led up to the Jets landing Aaron Rodgers during a recent "Flight 23: Ascension" episode.

"Yeah, he's 39 but still shows qualities in his early 30s. You know, he's got a lot of energy, he's got a lot of athleticism, he can still rip it. And it was really kind of an easy decision to just keep working through and trying to see if the Aaron Rodgers possibility was even real. And as we got deeper into the offseaon, and once we hired Nathaniel Hackett, and the noise started getting louder, and it just, it became clear that it was something that we wanted to pursue."

Rodgers was rumored to be a potential target for the Jets early in the 2023 NFL offseason. He later announced during an episode of the "Pat McAfee Show" that he intends to play for them during the upcoming 2023 NFL season, despite still being under contract with the Green Bay Packers at the time.

The Jets proceeded to hire Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator, a move that Robert Saleh credits as being one of the key factors in the eventual deal. They also signed Allen Lazard, one of Aaron Rodgers' top wide receivers in Green Bay.

The Jets finalized their Rodgers agreement just days before the 2023 NFL Draft after a multi-month process. He will reconnect with Hackett, the offensive coordinator under whom he achieved some of his greatest success with the Packers.

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Nathaniel Hackett served as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers for three years between the 2019 and 2021 NFL seasons before accepting the job as the head coach of the Denver Broncos last year. The Packers finished with an impressive 13-3 record in each of those three seasons, while Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL MVP in two of them.

Rodgers also led the entire NFL in passer rating and completion percentage during the dominant three-year run with Hackett. They will look to recreate some of their success with the New York Jets during the 2023 NFL season.