Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton apologized Friday for his candid comments about the team’s tumultuous 2022 season under now-New York Jets‘ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. But his public “regret” wasn’t enough to keep him from the wrath of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The four-time MVP took an opportunity to address Payton during a Sunday interview with Peter Schrager on NFL Network. Rodgers wasn’t asked directly about Payton’s comments, and that didn’t make a difference either.
Rodgers, 39, called Payton “insecure,” deeming his comments “way out of line [and] inappropriate.” He ended the response by saying Payton needs to “Keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
Jets head coach Robert Saleh had a much more settled reaction to the comments, noting that “If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t popping.”
For Rodgers, the response is likely due to his longstanding relationship with Hackett. The two became close during their time with the Green Bay Packers, where Hackett worked as offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021.
“My love for Hack goes deep, you know, we had some great years together in Green Bay,” Rodgers said. “(We) kept in touch, love him and his family, he’s an incredible family man and an incredible dad. And on the field, he’s arguably my favorite coach I’ve ever had in the NFL. Just his approach to it — 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.”
Hackett led the Broncos to a 5-12 season before his firing, leading Payton to say it “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” Rodgers was clear in asserting he felt it was below the belt.
“It made me feel bad that someone (Payton) 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,” he said.
In 16 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Payton helped guide the team to three NFC Championship games (2006, 2009, and 2018), nine playoff berths with seven division titles and a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
The interview that made Payton’s comments on Hackett such blockbuster news began with him expressing his expectation for the Broncos to become a playoff team. On the way to that goal, Denver will meet the Jets in Week Five for a matchup that keeps getting juicier.
