The optics, in fact, are usually not good.
The Jets’ hiring of Nathaniel Hackett on Thursday as their newest offensive coordinator was not going trigger for celebration amongst Jets followers who’re nonetheless reeling from watching the workforce play its last three video games with out scoring a single landing.
Hackett is coming off a messy one-and-done season as a first-time head coach in Denver, the place the Broncos completed the season with the fewest factors scored within the NFL.
The son of former Jets offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, who was with workforce from 2001-2004 underneath Herman Edwards, was fired with two video games remaining within the season.
Not a fantastic look.
Neither is the truth that Hackett is the Jets’ ninth offensive coordinator up to now 13 seasons.
For all the surface-level demerits that include this rent, although, Hackett have to be given an opportunity — for a number of causes.
Firstly, the efficiency of quarterback Russell Wilson, signed to an unwieldy contract regardless of being in decline, appeared to sabotage the Broncos no less than as a lot as teaching.
Secondly, regardless of Hackett’s lack of extremely ranked offenses throughout most of his time as an offensive coordinator in his stops in Buffalo and Jacksonville, contemplate the quarterbacks he was teaching: EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton in Buffalo and Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler in Jacksonville.
Thirdly, there’s no less than a risk that Hackett is a bit to a puzzle that lands Packers famous person quarterback Aaron Rodgers, with whom he’s very shut, in a commerce.
The Rodgers scenario nonetheless should play out as he decides whether or not he desires to maintain enjoying and, if he does, whether or not he desires to stay in Inexperienced Bay or be traded.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh insisted he and Hackett didn’t speak about which potential veteran quarterbacks the workforce plans to pursue this offseason. With all due respect to Saleh, that appears nearly inconceivable to imagine.
Hackett, with money and time remaining on his Denver contract and recent off a season through which he was topic to a flood of public ridicule, didn’t have to leap at this job. He didn’t have to take any job — notably one at a spot the place the pinnacle coach is probably going working underneath a tacit playoffs-or-bust edict in ’23.
Quarterback plans needed to be mentioned amongst Saleh, normal supervisor Joe Douglas and Hackett for him to have taken this job. With the Rodgers-to-the-Jets discuss gaining momentum and together with his relationship with Hackett, Saleh certainly wished to tamp that down as a lot as doable.
Saleh, too, did his finest to tamp down Hackett’s poor exhibiting in Denver, although he didn’t run and conceal from Hackett’s tough trip with the Broncos.
“It’s a part of the résumé and I get it, however you bought to have the self-discipline to look previous recency bias,’’ Saleh stated. “You bought to have the ability to look previous the … no matter you need to name Denver. However the reality of the matter is that he received to Denver, and he had that chance due to his life’s work as an offensive coordinator and all of the various things that he’s performed on this league and the way a lot respect he’s garnered all through the league.’’
One individual with respect for Hackett is Doug Marrone, his head coach in Buffalo and Jacksonville.
“He’s a sensible man who’s performed job with restricted quarterbacks,’’ Marrone advised The Submit. “He’ll deliver a variety of power into the room and I imagine he’ll get probably the most out of the Jets’ expertise. Will probably be a troublesome scenario in the event that they don’t have a quarterback, however that’s everybody’s problem.’’
Marrone praised, specifically, the job Hackett did with the 2017 Jaguars, who went to the AFC Championship sport with Bortles at quarterback and ranked fifth within the league in factors scored and sixth in yards.
“His finest job was having a top-10 offense with Blake Bortles in 2017,’’ Marrone stated. “I used to be actually shocked on the Denver scenario. I don’t know precisely what went fallacious.’’
If issues go proper for the Jets with Hackett, not one of the dangerous optics of immediately will matter tomorrow.