AP Photo/Matt Ludtke
Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is joining the growing list of candidates for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching vacancy.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Jaguars have requested to interview Hackett. Jacksonville has begun the process of identifying its targets to replace Urban Meyer:
Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero
The <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jaguars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Jaguars</a>’ interview with former <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eagles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Eagles</a> coach Doug Pederson is scheduled to happen this week, per source.<br><br>So along with requests for <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bucs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Bucs</a> OC Byron Leftwich and DC Todd Bowles and <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Cowboys</a> OC Kellen Moore, Jacksonville’s search for Urban Meyer’s successor is off and running.
Hackett already has experience with the franchise. He was the quarterbacks coach in 2015 and 2016 and moved up to the offensive coordinator role midway through the 2016 season.
The Jaguars fired him in November 2018, and he quickly landed on his feet with the Packers in January 2019.
Green Bay ranked eighth in offensive efficiency in 2019 and improved to first in 2020 at Football Outsiders. The team is second in 2021 while averaging 357.1 yards and 25.5 points per game.
Having Aaron Rodgers under center is bound to make any coach look smarter, but Hackett deserves his fair share of credit for how potent the Packers offense is.
Rodgers is on pace to lead the NFL in QBR for the second straight season, something he has never done in his career, per Pro Football Reference. Aaron Jones also cracked 1,000 rushing yards in Hackett’s first season before repeating the feat again in 2020. This year, the Packers have boasted a more balanced rushing attack between Jones (723 yards) and AJ Dillon (677 yards).
Considering how important Trevor Lawrence is to the Jaguars’ future, leaning toward an offensive-minded coach would make sense.
Before working with Rodgers, Hackett helped Blake Bortles throw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns—Bortles also led the league in interceptions (18)—in 2015. Imagine what he might be able to achieve with Lawrence at his disposal.
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