Sean Payton Slammed By Aaron Rodgers
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers borrowed a part of the Will Smith rant to Chris Rock, then directed it at Sean Payton, "Keep my coach's name out of your mouth," in an interview with Peter Schrager. Payton has taken heat for his critical comments regarding former Denver head coach and current Jet's offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett. The New Orleans Saints' former and Broncos' current head coach told USA Today's Jarrett Bell that Hackett had "one of the worst coaching jobs in the NFL" and said there were "20 dirty hands" around Russell Wilson's career-worst season.
Rodgers, who is very close with Hackett, defended him, saying, "Those comments were very surprising for a coach to do that to another coach. I thought it was way out of line and inappropriate." He later referred to Payton as "insecure."
Last season, Payton ripped Rodgers to Lindsey Rhodes about the signal-caller's demeanor and comments about his teammate following a loss to the Vikings. 'He drives me crazy,' and that he wants to see the Packers' coaching staff show some 'tough love' towards the future Hall of Fame QB."
Nov 7, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsTim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
On NFL Radio's 'The End Zone,' co-host Brad Hopkins defended Payton's comments about Hackett. "He [Payton] was saying and was talking about all of the dysfunction and craziness that was going on, on which Nathaniel Hackett was a part of, just like, Russell Wilson was a part of. He thought that Russell Wilson got way too much credit for the dysfunction that he deserved." According to the show's hosts, Payton's criticism of his team may have been a strategic move to protect and strengthen the bond with his quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Nevertheless, Rodgers and New York will visit Sean Payton and the Broncos in Denver for a Week-5 showdown. It will be interesting to see how the offensive clash between Hackett and Payton plays out in this game. Rodgers has a 3-3 record against Sean Payton-led teams.
