Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers does not appreciate what Broncos coach Sean Payton said about his offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.
Rodgers on Sunday blasted Payton for his scathing criticism of Hackett, telling Peter Schrager on NFL Network's "Training Camp: Back Together Weekend" they were "way out of line" and "inappropriate." Payton is taking over the Denver franchise after Hackett's disastrous one-year stint as head coach in 2022.
Rodgers and Hackett have reunited in New York after working together from 2019 through 2021 in Green Bay. Hackett left the Packers after the 2021 season to take over as Broncos head coach. He went 4-11 and was fired with two games remaining.
Rodgers won his two most recent NFL MVP awards working with Hackett in 2020 and 2021.
"I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach's name out of his mouth," Rodgers told Schrager (via NFL.com).
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Payton raised eyebrows all over the league with his surprisingly candid summation of the Broncos — including Hackett's role in the team's 2022 struggles. He was particularly pointed about the role Hackett played in Russell Wilson's regression; the quarterback threw a career-low 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
"There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms," Payton told USA Today's Jarrett Bell as part of his diatribe. "The offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell.
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"(Wilson) didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball."
Rodgers, who told Schrager he kept up with Hackett even when they were no longer both with the Packers, added that Payton used the Jets OC to create a built-in excuse for the Broncos if they don't rebound in 2023.
"It made me feel bad that someone who's 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.
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Payton also took direct aim at the Jets, saying the Broncos won't put hype before substance the way New York has.
"We’re not doing any of that," he said. "The Jets did that this year. You watch. 'Hard Knocks,' all of it. I can see it coming."
That prompted third-year Jets coach Robert Saleh to address Payton's comments as well. To his credit, he took as high a road as he could.
Payton has since apologized for his comments, saying he spoke as a Fox NFL analyst, his job before joining the Broncos, instead of as an NFL coach.
Either way, the Week 5 meeting between the Jets and Broncos in Denver has become appointment viewing.