Stephen A. Smith baffled by New York Jets hiring Nathaniel Hackett after 'god-awful' Broncos stint

When Nathaniel Hackett was hired by the Denver Broncos a year ago, he had just come off multiple 13-3 seasons with the Green Bay Packers as offensive coordinator, and the quarterback of his offense, Aaron Rodgers, won back-to-back MVP awards. Hackett inherited a team that went 7-10 in 2021 and then signed veteran quarterback and Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson in March.

The offensive guru didn't bring those same results to Denver with him, not even close, as he was fired in December after a 4-11 start. To everyone's surprise, particularly ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, Hackett was just hired by the New York Jets to be the team's next offensive coordinator.

Smith doesn't see the Jets offense improving at all with the hiring of Hackett, and who can disagree with that after the coaching performance during his brief tenure in Denver.

"Here's the reality of the situation: Nathaniel Hackett did a god-awful job in Denver this past season," Smith said. "Could you take a break? ... If you're the New York Jets, what the hell are you doing?"

Hackett has seen success in his coaching career, but the 43-year-old saw very little of that this year. The Broncos had the league's No. 32 offense, which was the opposite of expectations in the first year of a four-year contract as head coach.

Hackett was fired by the Broncos after a frustrating 15-game start to the season. In going 4-11, the team scored 30 or more points just twice. Having as many offensive weapons as he did, especially with hundreds of millions of dollars invested into Wilson, the expectations were extremely undermet.

With all the underwhelming performances by the second overall pick from BYU, Zach Wilson, and a history of less-than-ideal quarterbacks, optimistic Jets fans can find some hope in the idea of Aaron Rodgers joining the team with his old buddy as offensive coordinator. But for now, and probably forever, it's just an idea.

With the newly appointed coordinator and his new team traveling to Denver in the 2023 NFL season, you can guarantee that the game will be marked on Hackett's calendar.

Hackett spent the 2013 and 2014 season as the OC for the Buffalo Bills, and from 2016-2018 he was the OC for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But in his first year as head coach, the responsibilty falls on him. After his team was blown out 51-14 by the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day, Hackett didn't leave himself with many options as head coach for the Broncos.

If there's success in his stint as OC for the Jets, then Hackett might find himself another opportunity to be a head coach in the league.