Broncos Hiring Hackett; Let Rodgers Questions Begin

Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has been hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Denver Broncos are hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new coach, according to NFL Network.

Will a soon-to-be four-time MVP join him in the Mile High City?

In Green Bay, Hackett helped build an offense that won an NFL-high 39 games the past three seasons. Over that span, the Packers ranked fifth in scoring (27.2 points per game), first in turnovers (37; six fewer than any other team) and eighth on third down.

Having that MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, at the controls for all but one of those games gave Hackett an obvious advantage, but he also guided the Jacksonville Jaguars – quarterbacked by Blake Bortles – to within 15 minutes of the Super Bowl in 2017.

That Hackett landed one of the nine head coaching jobs isn’t a surprise given his track record. The son of longtime NFL coach Paul Hackett, the 42-year-old is more than just one of the league’s bright offensive minds. A head coach must not only know X’s and O’s, but he must be able to be the face of the franchise. Packers coach Matt LaFleur, for instance, speaks to reporters five days a week during the season. With his enthusiasm for his job and a zest for life, Hackett will be a tremendous spokesman for the Broncos.

“I think on a base level, the ability to relate to players and lead a room should be at the top of any general manager or owner’s desires,” Rodgers said during the playoff bye. “You have to be able to relate to guys. This whole college mentality, high school mentality – coach needs the player to be scared of him and some of this way of coaching that’s thankfully gone the way of the white buffalo – that shouldn’t be a part of what people are looking for.

“It should be an ability to relate to the guys, understand what they’re into, how to motivate and inspire them best, how to get them to be self-motivated, set the framework for the squad and the focus and then trust your staff that you put together. Trust the leadership of the football team, encourage player-led teams and then it needs to be somebody that can control a room with presence, with speech, with the concise message needed at certain times.”

In three seasons with the 63-year-old Vic Fangio as coach, the Broncos went 7-10 in 2021, 5-11 in 2020and 7-9 in 2019. The last two seasons ended in the AFC West cellar. They haven’t had a winning record since going 9-7 in 2016, and their last playoff berth came in 2015, when they went 12-4 and won the Super Bowl in Gary Kubiak’s debut season. The quarterback of that team? Peyton Manning.

And that leads us to the elephant in the room. Would Rodgers be interested in joining Hackett in Denver?

The Broncos are a very good team in need of a quarterback. They also were a very good team without a quarterback last offseason, when, in the midst of the news that Rodgers was upset with Packers leadership and could be available, they bypassed Justin Fields and Mac Jones and selected cornerback Patrick Surtain III with the ninth pick of the draft.

With his respect for Hackett and obvious knowledge of the offense that Hackett will be installing, Denver would be a potentially attractive situation for Rodgers.

In Green Bay, Rodgers has the one-two punch of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in the backfield. Denver has the one-two punch of Melvin Gordon and electric rookie Javonte Williams.

In Green Bay, Rodgers has the indomitable Davante Adams to carry the passing game. Denver doesn’t have an elite playmaker but receivers Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick form a quality trio, and Noah Fant is a big-time threat at tight end. Of note, they’re all under contract for the long haul: Sutton through 2025, Patrick through 2024, Jeudy through 2023 (2024 if they trigger the fifth-year option) and Fant through 2022 (2023 if they trigger the fifth-year option).

In Green Bay this season, Rodgers had a winning defense. Denver’s defense is elite. The Broncos finished third in points allowed (18.9 points per game) and eighth in total defense.

Added together, if the Packers faced the Broncos with Rodgers as all-time quarterback, Denver might have the better team.

Moreover, while the Packers have been an elite team the past three years, they enter this offseason about $50 million over the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com. Only the Saints are in a worse position. Denver, meanwhile, is $34.3 million under the cap, the seventh-best situation in the league.

So, the Broncos not only could afford to absorb Rodgers’ contract but they have the money to handle Adams, too.

The Broncos own the ninth pick of this year’s draft. They also have additional second- and third-round choices after trading Von Miller to the Rams.

On Monday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he wants Rodgers as quarterback “until he decides to retire.” And Rodgers has said multiple times, including on Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, that his relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst is much stronger than it was a year ago.

“I feel like I’m at the place relationally with the Packers, in a really good place especially with Brian and the way our friendship and trust has grown, where it would be a simple conversation and whatever comes out of the conversation is moving forward,” Rodgers said. “There’s not going to be a weird standoff, war of silence of anything. Brian and I have had good conversations throughout the year and when it comes time to make a decision, we’ll have a conversation and that’ll be that. It won’t be a long, drawn-out process. I think that’s what’s best for me, for him, for the organization and for all the other decisions that need to be made.”

Rodgers has spoken highly of the two internal candidates to be Green Bay's new offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and offensive line coach Adam Stenavich. At age 38 and possessing a strong relationship with coach Matt LaFleur, having worked through his issues with Gutekunst and with 17 seasons in Green Bay, Rodgers might not be willing to start anew.

As Rodgers said recently on Adam Schein’s podcast, the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener where you water it.

Examining Packers’ Depth Charts Without Free Agents

Quarterback Depth Chart

Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, Kurt Benkert (PS), Danny Etling (F).

So long as Rodgers returns – and the Packers say they want him back – then the top of the depth chart is set. If Rodgers returns, will the Packers keep Love and can Benkert hold off Etling?

Running Back Depth Chart

Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill (IR), Patrick Taylor.

The Packers will have Jones and Dillon for at least the 2022 season. Jones’ cap number for 2022 is $9.75 million but there are no cap savings from releasing him and moving forward with Dillon as the undisputed No. 1 back. If Aaron Rodgers doesn't return, it will be up to these two to carry the offense. Literally.

Receiver Depth Charts

WR 1: Davante Adams, Equanimeous St. Brown, Juwann Winfree.

WR 2: Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Malik Taylor (IR), Chris Blair (PS).

Slot: Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Rico Gafford (F).

Adams will be the best player in free agency – assuming the Packers let him get to free agency. They could use the franchise tag, which is incredibly expensive at about $20 million, though that could be a place-holder for a long-term extension if the Packers officially hitch their wagon to Rodgers for the long haul.

Valdes-Scantling had a quiet season due to injuries but is a proven big-play threat and could be priced out of Green Bay. Lazard will be a restricted free agent. His gritty skill-set might be valued more by the Packers than other teams.

Cobb is under contract through 2022 but with a cap charge of about $9.6 million. The Packers could move on and create more than $6.8 million of cap space. That would not be a popular move in Rodgers' eyes; then again, Rodgers threw him only one pass on Saturday night.

Offensive Line Depth Charts

LT: David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman.

LG: Elgton Jenkins (IR), Jon Runyan.

C: Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, Michal Menet (PS).

RG: Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman.

RT: Billy Turner, Dennis Kelly, Cole Van Lanen (PS).

In a perfect world, maybe the Packers could let Patrick and Kelly walk, save $3.4 million by releasing Turner, and line up with a five-man group of Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Myers, Runyan/Newman and Nijman. But if this year taught you anything, it’s that depth on the offensive line is vital.

Tight End Depth Charts

TE 1: Robert Tonyan (IR), Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis.

TE 2: Marcedes Lewis, Dominque Dafney.

Coming off a breakout season of 11 touchdowns in 2020, few people in the NFL lost as much money in 2021 as Tonyan due to his midseason ACL tear. Maybe he’ll be ready sometime in training camp, but will he be the same downfield threat? The beloved Lewis, whose fumble turned the tide on Saturday, is under contract for 2022 with a cap charge of about $4.5 million. They could release him and save $2.4 million but who’d block?

Defensive Line Depth Charts

DE: Dean Lowry.

NT: Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton.

DE: Tyler Lancaster, Jack Heflin (F).

Lancaster’s been a reliable meat-and-potatoes run defender. Will his last key play be the blocked field goal that he allowed? With the late-season release of Kingsley Keke and the decisions to not retain practice-squad players Abdullah Anderson and RJ McIntosh, the Packers are incredibly thin on the defensive line. And that’s with Lowry on the roster at a cap charge of $8 million (potential savings of $4 million). D-line and receiver will need multiple additions in the draft.

Outside Linebacker Depth Charts

OLB: Preston Smith, Whitney Mercilus, Tipa Galeai, Randy Ramsey (IR).

OLB: Rashan Gary, Za’Darius Smith, Jonathan Garvin, Chauncey Rivers (IR), La’Darius Hamilton (PS).

The Texans dumped Mercilus to escape the rest of a four-year, $54 million contract. The Packers paid him the league minimum. He’ll turn 32 before camp. The big question is what the Packers will do with The Smith Bros. With a cap charge of almost $27.7 million, the Packers could save $15.3 million by releasing Za’Darius Smith. With a cap charge of $19.75 million, the Packers could save $12.5 million by releasing Preston Smith. The former seems much more likely than the latter. Preston Smith had a big-time bounce-back season and formed an excellent tandem with Gary. An extension would take the sting out of his cap charge.

Inside Linebacker Depth Charts

ILB: Krys Barnes, Oren Burks, Ray Wilborn (PS).

ILB: De’Vondre Campbell, Ty Summers (IR), Isaiah McDuffie.

Campbell joined the Packers in June with a one-year contract worth $2 million. He figures to earn an annual salary of five times that much as a free agent following an All-Pro season in which he was a dominant, game-changing player on the field and a popular player in the locker room. The good news is he was a field-tilting player. The bad news is he’s probably priced himself out of Green Bay. If that’s the case, it would create a giant hole in the middle of the defense.

Cornerback Depth Charts

CB 1: Rasul Douglas, Kevin King, Kiondre Thomas (F).

Slot: Jaire Alexander, Chandon Sullivan, Shemar Jean-Charles.

CB 2: Eric Stokes, Kabion Ento (PS).

Did any player in the league earn a bigger raise than linebacker De’Vondre Campbell? Perhaps it’s Douglas, who was signed off Arizona’s practice squad in October. The good news is he saved the defense following Alexander’s shoulder injury. The bad news is he probably earned a lucrative contract somewhere else. The undervalued Sullivan played the fifth-most snaps on the defense. In five seasons, King played 40 percent of the snaps in just two of his five seasons.

If the Packers can somehow keep Douglas, a three-man corner group of Douglas and Stokes on the perimeter and Alexander in the slot would about as good as it gets in the NFL.

Safety Depth Charts

SS: Adrian Amos, Vernon Scott, Shawn Davis.

FS: Darnell Savage, Henry Black, Innis Gaines (PS).

Safety is the only position without a scheduled free agent, though the rock-solid and supremely reliable Amos could be a cap-saving cut just because the team has to find the money somewhere. With a cap charge of almost $12 million, moving on would save about $4.7 million against the cap.

Special Teams Depth Charts

K: Mason Crosby, JJ Molson (PS).

P: Corey Bojorquez.

LS: Steven Wirtel.

Bojorquez has a lot of talent but consistency and holding on kicks were issues. Crosby is under contract through 2022 and is coming off a dismal season – not all his fault – and will turn 38 just before the start of the season. The Packers would save $2.4 million against the cap by creating a kicking competition for the rocket-legged Molson.