Potentially on the verge of making history by having the first Black owner in the history of the NFL, the Denver Broncos could be close to making another groundbreaking move or two after hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to be their head coach.
Hackett, who got the best out of flawed quarterback Blake Bortles as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator from 2016 to ’18 before heading to Green Bay and helping Matt LaFleur win a record 39 games in his first three seasons as head coach of the Packers, replaces defensive-minded Vic Fangio and will take over a team that went 7-10 this season.
It’s far from a given, but Hackett may have some help in turning around the Broncos from some current members of the Packers organization: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.
Per a report from NFL source Jordan Schultz, Denver could put a huge trade offer on the table to make Rodgers and Adams, a pending free agent and franchise tag candidate, the newest members of the Broncos.
“Sources tell me that, yes, the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers is severed. We knew that,” Schultz reported. “I’m also told that Adams, given his friendship with Rodgers, has grown increasingly frustrated with the Packers’ mistreatment of one of his best friends. So, why do the Broncos make sense? We know they have the cap — $49 million. We know they have the assets — think Jerry Jeudy. And you have a potential sign-and-trade opportunity with Davante Adams, Jeudy, and a first-round pick.”
While a deal for Rodgers and Adams sounds far-fetched, Denver does have the aforementioned cap space to play around with, as well as 11 picks already in hand for the NFL Draft in April. That’s a lot of ammunition, and the addition of Hackett just adds more to Denver’s arsenal.
Rodgers, who is on the precipice of winning back-to-back MVPs with Hackett as his OC, is weighing retirement, staying with Green Bay or moving to greener pastures. Denver could now be the latter with Hackett — who called plays for the Bills before going to Jacksonville — in charge of the Broncos.
“Competing in an AFC West division that includes Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Derek Carr (Raiders), Denver must find a way to close the quarterback performance gap, and it will be Hackett’s job to build his offensive system around whoever it is the Broncos acquire as a starter,” according to The Athletic.
Could that be Rodgers?
“What he did in Jacksonville, I think, was pure magic, getting them within a quarter of the Super Bowl,” Rodgers previously said of Hackett on the Pat McAfee Show. “He’s a great coach. I love spending time with him. He’s a fantastic teacher. He’s incredible in front of the room.”
Hackett basically had Rodgers and the Packers a quarter away from the Super Bowl last season as well, but Green Bay came up short and lost to Tampa Bay. Perhaps that’ll change with the Broncos if Hackett can somehow get Rodgers and Adams to Denver.
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