ESPN analyst raises doubts on Aaron Rodgers-Nathaniel Hackett partnership for Jets in 2024 - "Don't see a lot of hope"
As a healthy Aaron Rodgers returns to the field after recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury, there is optimism in the New York Jets camp about the 2024 sesaon. But ESPN analyst Kevin Clark is dubious.
Speaking on ESPN's "NFL Live" on Friday, Kevin Clark raised doubts on the partnership between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Jets' offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Clark drew comparison with Rodgers' former head coach in Green Bay from 2019, Matt LaFleur. The ESPN analyst belives that lack of hard caching from Nathaniel Hackett is why this partnership could go south.
"I was in Green Bay two years ago doing a story on Matt LaFleur and his relationship with entire team, including Aaron Rodgers. I felt that the best thing about the Rodgers-LaFleur relationship was that LaFleur pushed Rodgers into new concepts, into new schemes, into blind throws he wasn’t comfortable making."
He added:
"And I just feel like this isn’t that. There isn't a lot of hard coaching going on right now. I just don't know where this goes... I just don’t see a lot of hope here."
Nathaniel Hackett was the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2021. He helped Rodgers put up consecutive MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021.
The Aaron Rodgers-Nathaniel Hackett duo didn't see a lot of time together in 2023 as the Jets QB tore his Achilles after the first four plays of the season.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers comes to Nathaniel Hackett's defense
Without Aaron Rodgers last year, the team's offense struggled miserably under Nathaniel Hackett, averaging 15.8 points per game, finishing 29th in the league. There were reports of the team trying to replace Hackett and his role this offseason.
But Rodgers is here for Hackett's defense. Speaking on "Mad Dog Sports Radio" on Sirius XM, the Jets quarterback asked the fans to trust the offensive coordinator this season.
"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."
The 2024 season with be a litmus test for Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets enter the season with Super Bowl expectations. Failing to live upto that would bring hard decisions onto the table.