4 reasons the Nathaniel Hackett hire is a good thing for the NY Jets

I don't like the Nathaniel Hackett hire. I'm sure that might be a confusing statement given the headline, but Hackett was one of my least favorite options the NY Jets were considering to be their next offensive coordinator.

Hackett's unimpressive resume as an offensive coordinator combined with his disastrous stint with the Denver Broncos make him an uninspiring choice for Gang Green. Now that that's out of the way, let's be positive.

This is the offseason after all. It's a time for optimism and hope for all 32 NFL franchises. And as the self-proclaimed kings of the offseason, Jets fans know how to spin anything into a positive.

So that brings us to Hackett. Why could this move work out for the Jets? What about Hackett's resume did the Jets like? Why is this a good thing? Let's take a look at a few potential positive takeaways from the hire.

4. Red-zone success

One of the reasons the Jets fired former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, in the first place, was due to the team's extensive struggles in the red zone.

The Jets failed to score a touchdown in each of their final three games of the season and finished with the second-worst red-zone offense in the NFL. Hackett, however, has found plenty of success inside his opponent's 20-yard line.

Hackett worked very closely with the Packers' red-zone offense in Green Bay (that was his primary responsibility), and he helped formulate the best red-zone offense in the NFL since 1999. The 2020 Packers team scored a touchdown on 77 percent of their red-zone trips.

Once Hackett left in 2022, the Packers fell all the way to 23rd in red-zone efficiency. There's more at play than just the coaching staff, but Hackett's work with the Packers' red-zone offense is part of what got him hired in Denver.

The Jets likely took that into account as well.

3. That one Blake Bortles year

Aside from his stint in Green Bay, the most impressive thing on Hackett's resume is likely the work he did with Blake Bortles in Jacksonville. Hackett served as the Jaguars' quarterbacks coach from 2015-2016 before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2017.

It was in 2017 that Hackett helped lead the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game, on the brink of a Super Bowl appearance, with Blake Bortles as his quarterback.

Bortles led the Jaguars to a 10-6 record, finishing with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing a career-best 60 percent of his passes. Of course, Jacksonville's defense did a lot of the heavy lifting during that magical run, but Bortles was legitimately playing some good football.

Hackett was also Bortles' quarterbacks coach in the two previous seasons, including in 2015 when he threw for a whopping 35 touchdowns and 4,428 yards. Bortles didn't work out in Jacksonville long-term, but he found some success working under Hackett.

That 35-touchdown season was despite Bortles being sacked more than any quarterback in football. Once the offensive line improved in 2017, Hackett's Jaguars offense finished sixth in yards per game and top-five in scoring.

Given how Hackett's tenure in Jacksonville unceremoniously ended the following year, it's easy to forget the success he found prior to his departure. The Jets certainly factored that into their decision.

Head coach Robert Saleh even spoke about how Hackett has had "great success with all the quarterbacks he’s worked with." That feels like a direct reference to Bortles.

2. Nathaniel Hackett is the experienced OC the NY Jets were looking for

The Jets made it very clear this offseason that they were looking to add some veteran leadership to their offensive coaching staff. Even before firing Mike LaFleur, the Jets indicated that the plan was to bring in a veteran coach.

As it turns out, that veteran coach was hired to replace LaFleur, rather than work with him.

The Jets interviewed a whopping 15 candidates for their offensive coordinator position, many of whom weren't exactly the most experienced. We're talking guys who had barely been position coaches in the NFL, let alone offensive coordinators.

Hackett has the experience the Jets were looking for. He has a decade of experience as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and has called plays before, which is something the Jets emphasized in their search.

He's been an NFL head coach, a coordinator for three different NFL teams, and has 20 years of coaching experience under his belt. That, more than anything, is likely the reason the Jets hired him.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Hackett has other ties to the Jets' coaching staff. He crossed paths with Robert Saleh in Jacksonville and worked under Saleh's best friend, Matt LaFleur, in Green Bay. His father, Paul, was also the Jets' offensive coordinator from 2001-2004.

When the Jets fired Mike LaFleur, the plan was always to replace him with a more experienced coach. Hackett fits the bill and makes a ton of sense for the organization.

1. The Aaron Rodgers factor

The Jets likely didn't hire Nathaniel Hackett with the expectation that they were going to trade for Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers wasn't on the market, the Jets very likely would have still hired Hackett.

That said, this move certainly doesn't hurt matters.

Rodgers trade rumors have been running rampant over the last week or so, and the team most heavily connected to said rumors has been the Jets. Now, after hiring Hackett, the Jets have shot up to -250 betting favorites to trade for Rodgers this offseason.

The connection is obvious. Rodgers has spoken glowingly of Hackett in the past, and the two were reportedly much closer in Green Bay than Rodgers ever was with Matt LaFleur.

Of course, it isn't hard to remember what happened last offseason. The Broncos hired Hackett, perhaps with the hope that he could convince Rodgers to come to Denver. Ultimately, Rodgers stayed put in Green Bay and the Broncos pivoted to Russell Wilson.

It feels different this offseason, though. Rodgers has heavily hinted at a departure from Green Bay, and the presence of Jordan Love complicates matters for the Packers.

There isn't the same sense of "run it back for one more year" amongst most Packers fans. The prevailing belief is that it would be best for the Packers to rip the band-aid off, let Love start, and begin the rebuild now instead of delaying the inevitable.

The Packers last offseason were in a very different position than they are now. They're much more likely to agree to trade Rodgers, as a result. And if he's being traded anywhere, no team makes more sense than the Jets.

The Hackett hire doesn't guarantee the Jets trade for Rodgers, but it certainly makes it more likely. That has to be seen as a good thing for a franchise desperate for quality quarterback play.