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.
โThis dude [Rodgers] has been in the league 19 years. Heโs played quarterback for 19 years. Youโre telling me he doesnโt know more than 75 percent of coaches in football. So, of course, Iโm going to ask him.โ
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.
โItโs like Iโm talking to another coach,โ continued Saleh. โ[if] Iโm gonna go to that 30-year old [coach] and ask his opinion, why the hell wouldnโt I ask a 39-year-old who has bullets being shot at [him] all the time?โ
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 ๐ #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.
โThereโs a reason why Aaron wanted to come here,โ said Saleh. โA lot of itโs because of Hackett. Thereโs a reason why [Allen Lazard] and [Randall Cobb] andย Billy Turner, and all the guys whoโฆ just love and adore him want to come here and thereโs more people that want to come.โ
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.
โHe 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 heโs a hell of a football coach – and he is. I mean, players love him.โ

