NEW YORK — The Jets are wasting no time in the search to find their next play caller.
Former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett met with Gang Green Wednesday to talk about their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to ESPN.
The Jets (7-10) fired Mike LaFleur last week after the Jets stumbled to the finish line losing six straight games after a promising start. Under LaFleur, the offensive finished 25th in total yards per game (318.2) and 29th in points (17.4) and did not find the end zone in their last three games.
Hackett was fired by the Broncos after just 15 games in his rookie season as an NFL head coach. The 43-year-old, with Russell Wilson at quarterback, had a brutal season from the start and the Broncos finally pulled the plug on Hackett in late December with the team holding a 4-11 record.
Prior to his head coaching debacle, Hackett was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers from 2019-21 under Matt LaFleur, the brother of the Jets’ former OC.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Hackett spent time together when they were both coaches on the Jacksonville Jaguars staff in 2016. Hackett was the QB coach while Saleh was leading the linebackers.
The ties with Gang Green run deep for the former Broncos head coach as his father, Paul Hackett, was the Jets offensive coordinator from 2001-2004 under then coach Herm Edwards.
“We are casting a wide net,” Saleh said last week of Gang Green’s search. The Jets also fired offensive line coach John Benton and wide receivers coach Miles Austin.
Jets owner Woody Johnson called out the offense when he met with the media to deliver his post-mortem on the season.
“Just take a look at the defense and where it evolved in the year,” Johnson said. “It gives you confidence that they can do it because they did go from last to kind of first.
“What was really lacking was the offense, as we couldn’t score points. You gotta be able to score those points in the red zone and so on. You gotta be more efficient.”
Gang Green has reportedly already reached out to a number of candidates to replace LaFleur including New England Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley, Philadelphia Eagles QB coach Brian Johnson, former Indianapolis Colts OC Marcus Brady and Eagles passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell was also thought to be on Gang Green’s target list, but he reportedly told the Jets he wasn’t interested.
