Did Jets make a bombshell hire to try and lure Aaron Rodgers?
Earlier this week, the New York Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s offensive coordinator. Was this done to try and lure Aaron Rodgers? No one may know the truth for sure, but the Jets hiring Hackett to be the team’s next offensive coordinator after Mike LaFleur was fired sure does smell of a move to try and lure Aaron Rodgers to New York.
Last offseason, the Denver Broncos hired Hackett to be their next head coach, and the rumor mills started swirling about Rodgers then wanting to come to Denver to continue to play with Hackett, who he’s had very high praise for.
Many have speculated that the Broncos did indeed hire Hackett with the intention of luring Rodgers to the orange and blue, but when that fell through, the team swung a trade for Russell Wilson. We may never know the full truth, but the scenario makes sense.
The Jets are in a similar situation in which they have the talented, playoff caliber roster but don’t have the quarterback. And, like clockwork, Rodgers began talking about his future after the Packers failed to make the playoffs in 2022.
In a repeat of the prior two offseasons, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers may be again in the national media spotlight as the signal caller mulls his future in the NFL. The four time MVP surely has something left in the tank, and Rodgers himself knows that too.
If he did request a trade, the New York Jets do make a ton of sense. Not only are they not in the NFC, but Rodgers would essentially be able to be plugged in the lineup and hit the ground running. The Jets have a stellar young defense and some exceptional pieces on offense including Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.
The team truly does appear to be a quarterback away, and even though Rodgers is approaching 40 years old, he’d give New York the quarterback play they’d be looking for, even if it’s just for a year or two.
Seeing how poorly Nathaniel Hackett’s tenure in Denver went, I do think this hire was a bit of bait directed at Rodgers. Hackett’s career as a play-caller is nothing to write home about, and his disastrous tenure as a head coach was historically bad.
Honestly, seeing as how many other quality candidates the Jets could have gone with, hiring Hackett does leave my scratching my head, unless they have a bigger plan in mind.