One of the more curious subplots of the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers feud is how the McCaskeys haven't once considered stealing a top coach or executive from their arch-rivals. Considering the Packers have owned the Bears for almost 30 years now, one would think this would be an obvious idea to consider. Yet since the last five opportunities they've had to hire a new coach, they've never even interviewed one from Green Bay. That may finally change in the next week or two with Nathaniel Hackett.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports is among the best insiders in the NFL. He appeared on The Ringer NFL Show with Kevin Clark to discuss the upcoming coaching carousel. Like most others, he believes Matt Nagy will be fired following the season finale in Minnesota. Where it got interesting was when Clark asked Robinson which coach out there might end up being the guy for Chicago.
His answer was an eye-opener.
"You know I think Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay is sort of an under-the-radar name. He has a ton of experience. He's not nearly as old. He's been around long enough (but) he's 42. This guy was getting coordinator experience in his mid-30s. The thing that I think is intriguing about him is Aaron Rodgers really, really likes him. He's a big believer in Nathaniel Hackett. And Rodgers, you know how it is, he's not the easiest player to manage or listen to. I mean he brings a lot to the table, he brings a lot of expectations, he does augment the offense, and it has been a two-way street though with Hackett. I think the consistency that he's brought there with the work with Aaron, the fact that Aaron buys into him, is a pretty big deal. So he is a name that maybe I did not expect when you start making these calls starts to come up a little more consistently."Hackett first emerged on the NFL scene back in 2013 as the offensive coordinator in Buffalo. After a difficult 6-10 season, he played a big part in the Bills going 9-7 in 2014. Their first winning season in 10 years. Kyle Orton was the starting quarterback, went 7-5, and finished with a career-high 87.8 passer rating. Hackett was soon picked up by Jacksonville a year later as their new quarterbacks coach. Blake Bortles threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns that season. The next year Hackett took over as offensive coordinator. After finishing 23rd in total offense in 2016, the Jaguars jumped all the way to 6th in 2017. This was a big reason why they reached the AFC championship. Sadly things fell apart after that. Green Bay was quick to pounce, making him their offensive coordinator in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhXN1arf6aw&ab_channel=GreenBayPackers







