NFL Rumors: Jets made "legitimate" attempt to shore up ranks for Aaron Rodgers with confidence in Nathaniel Hackett waning
The New York Jets brought in Nathaniel Hackett in 2023 to pair him with Aaron Rodgers. The two were together with the Green Bay Packers and New York wanted to make it as seamless of a transition as possible. Now, they have waning confidence in Hackett's ability to run an offense and reportedly tried to bring someone else in to go above the former Denver Broncos head coach.
Conner Hughes reported for SNY that "legitimate attempts" were made to bring someone else in. The Hackett offense struggled mightily in 2023 without Rodgers, and the team's management is less confident in it moving forward.
"There are legitimate concerns with Hackett’s ability to successfully run things. It almost feels like the Jets are putting so much faith in Aaron Rodgers’ ability to correct Hackett’s wrongdoings," Hughes reported.
Evidently, Rodgers frequently changed Hackett's play calls at the line of scrimmage last year during the preseason, and the New York Jets had hoped that he'd be able to just do that when needed during the regular season.
Hughes noted that was a lot to put on one player's plate, even someone like Aaron Rodgers. So while they spent the offseason shoring up the offense, their major concern remains the coordination from Nathaniel Hackett.
New York Jets aiming to rebound in 2024
The New York Jets don't want a repeat of 2023. When Aaron Rodgers went down in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, it tanked their entire season. This year, they want to provide him with as many things as he needs to succeed.
Rodgers is getting older and his contract runs to 2025, so time is short. The Jets went all in on the offense during the offseason, adding Tyron Smith to protect Rodgers and Mike Williams to catch passes.
The Jets also drafted Olu Fashanu to help protect Rodgers as well. They spent five draft picks on offense, including Malachi Corley, Braelon Allen and Jordan Travis.
The Jets' defense was spectacular once again in 2023, so the front office focused almost exclusively on building up a comparable offense for 2024 to try and rekindle their Super Bowl hopes.