New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh raved about the football knowledge of Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett
Speaking to SiriusXM radio on Sunday, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh had glowing reviews of his new quarterback and offensive coordinator.
This season will be quite different than Saleh’s first two as head coach of the Jets. Instead of relying on a young, unproven quarterback in Zach Wilson, Saleh will have the benefit of coaching – and learning from – a four-time NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers.
Saleh is taking advantage of the opportunity to pick Rodgers’ brain. While praising Rodgers’ football knowledge, the Jets’ head coach made a bold claim: that Rodgers knows more football than the majority of NFL coaches.
“This dude [Rodgers] has been in the league 19 years. He’s played quarterback for 19 years. You’re telling me he doesn’t know more than 75 percent of coaches in football. So, of course, I’m going to ask him.”
Saleh opined that it wouldn’t make sense to ask a younger coach specific questions when there’s an elite player with an astute football mind who has more experience already on the team.
“It’s like I’m talking to another coach,” continued Saleh. “[if] I’m gonna go to that 30-year old [coach] and ask his opinion, why the hell wouldn’t I ask a 39-year-old who has bullets being shot at [him] all the time?”
Rodgers is already backing up Saleh’s statements. In a clip from Hard Knocks, Rodgers can be heard predicting Zach Wilson’s 57-yard bomb to Malik Taylor before it happens.
Coach Aaron with the perfect play call for @ZachWilson 😅#HardKnocks premieres tomorrow 10pm ET on @streamonmax pic.twitter.com/jmIWGAMKFy
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 7, 2023
Another respected offensive mind who joined the team is OC Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett spent three years with Rodgers in Green Bay, including two MVP seasons. The new addition to the coaching staff received heavy praise from Saleh.
“There’s a reason why Aaron wanted to come here,” said Saleh. “A lot of it’s because of Hackett. There’s a reason why [Allen Lazard] and [Randall Cobb] and Billy Turner, and all the guys who… just love and adore him want to come here and there’s more people that want to come.”
After being fired as the Denver Broncos head coach before the end of his first season – a performance that drew harsh criticism from current Broncos head coach Sean Payton – Hackett didn’t take a hiatus from coaching. Instead, he quickly jumped into the Jets offensive coordinator position.
“He wanted to get back on the horse and get back to work and prove to himself,” Saleh said of Hackett. “To [prove to] anybody who doubts him; that he’s a hell of a football coach – and he is. I mean, players love him.”
