One day after making headline-grabbing remarks about Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he regretted the comments and called them a mistake.
The damage has been done, though.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh responded last week, saying in part that there are “a lot of crows pecking at our neck.” New York offensive lineman Billy Turner — who played under Hackett with the Broncos last year — also responded on social media, calling Payton an “[expletive] bum” and “childish.”
Now Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has chimed in as well.
“Those comments were very surprising,” Rodgers said during an interview with NFL Network on Sunday. “For a coach to do that to another coach … it made me feel bad that someone 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. I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate. And I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
“I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
The full Aaron Rodgers response to @PSchrags on Sean Payton’s comments — exclusively on NFL+. pic.twitter.com/ZcCSW8iTuW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2023
The Broncos are set to host Hackett and the Jets in Week 5 this season. Thanks to this offseason drama, that will be one of the most-anticipated games on Denver’s 2023 schedule.
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