Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to show praise and trust in his offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Rodgers appeared on Adam Schein’s show on SiriusXM Radio and talked about Hackett and expressed more belief in him.
“Well, you should trust me and I trust Nathaniel,” Rodgers said. “So, to me, that’s end of story. There’s been a lot of BS that’s been said out there. There’s a lot of things that have gone on the last couple years that he’s dealt with that I think he’s handled very professionally. And at the end of the day, I think you gotta trust his and my working relationship and the conversations that we have. You gotta trust the staff.”
Rodgers added: “We gotta believe in Nathaniel. There’s been some things that we’ve improved on, been some things that were out of his control. At the end of the day, his and my partnership is one that’s been fruitful in the past, and it’s gonna be fruitful again.”
Rodgers and Hackett’s relationship is well-documented. Hackett was the offensive coordinator in Green Bay when Rodgers won his MVP titles in 2020 and 2021. However, it was head coach Matt LaFleur who was the primary play-caller for the Packers while Hackett helped with red-zone game-planning.
Hackett has been under fire since his handling of the 2023 offense, both tailoring it for Rodgers and not having much of a backup plan following his Week 1 Achilles injury. Of course, the injuries piled on after that, including along the offensive line.
The Jets reportedly sought a senior offensive assistant that would have effectively replaced Hackett. That hire never came to fruition. Head coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday that Hackett would remain the primary play-caller on offense for the 2024 season while Hackett said he had been involved in every offensive conversation this season and that Saleh still has faith in him.