There was plenty of verbal sparring between two of the coaches of the Denver Broncos and New York Jets this offseason. When Sean Payton took over the Denver Broncos, he called the coaching job of the previous staff one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history. That, of course, didn’t sit well with Nathaniel Hackett, who has been the longtime offensive coordinator for Aaron Rodgers over the years. It also ticked off Rodgers.
Hackett is now the offensive coordinator for the Jets, so Sunday’s matchup was highly anticipated.
The Jets ended up pulling off a victory over the Denver Broncos. And Aaron Rodgers simply couldn’t resist trolling Sean Payton and the Broncos on Twitter, following the big win.
Check it out.
“W. #hackett heart emoji #” Rodgers wrote. The beef between Payton and Rodgers dates back to this offseason.
Aaron Rodgers did not appreciate Sean Payton’s comments
Earlier in the offseason, Aaron Rodgers did not hold back when responding to Sean Payton’s comments on Nathaniel Hackett’s tenure as Denver Broncos head coach.
Rodgers and Hackett have history together in Green Bay — and have had immense success together as quarterback and offensive coordinator. It’s no surprise the former NFL MVP defended his coach.
“I love Nathaniel Hackett, and those comments were very surprising, for a coach to do that to another coach,” Rodgers told Peter Schrager on NFL+. “My love for Hack goes deep, you know, we had some great years together in Green Bay,” Rodgers said. “[We] kept in touch, I love him and his family, he’s an incredible family man and an incredible dad.
“And on the field, he is arguably my favorite coach I’ve ever had in the NFL. Just his approach to it, how he makes it fun. How he cares about the guys — just how he goes about his business with respect, with leadership, with honesty, with integrity.”
In the offseason, Payton ripped Hackett for the job he did during his tenure as Broncos head coach — which lasted less than a full regular season. Quarterback Russell Wilson had career-low numbers and nothing seemed to click for an offense that many believed had potential to win more than the five games that they did.
Still, Rodgers isn’t excusing Payton for making his feelings public despite the new Broncos coach apologizing after the fact. Payton blamed it on having his reporting hat on, as he provided analysis to games on FOX since leaving the New Orleans Saints. Still, his words have carried weight and it offended Rodgers, who has always been close to Hackett.
“It made me feel that bad that someone (Payton) who has accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some sort of easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year,” Rodgers said. “I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach’s name out of his mouth.”
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.
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