Sean Payton made his surprise return to the NFL coaching realm this offseason when he came out of retirement and accepted the vacant Denver Broncos after his rights were traded by the Saints this offseason.
Since accepting the job, Payton has been very vocal about the horrible job done by the previous head coach and current New York Jets Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett was hired by Denver last year and wouldn’t finish the season as he would go 4-11 in 15 games before he was fired.
The Super Bowl winning coach – who many people find responsible for reviving the career of Drew Brees after a catastrophic shoulder injury early in his career – made it known to the media how he felt about the previous regime’s inability to lead and the unfair treatment of superstar quarterback Russell Wilson who was acquired by Denver before the previous season.
“There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms,” Payton told USA Today on Thursday. “I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flop. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”
Russell Wilson has been considered one of the best quarterbacks in the game since he debuted in Seattle in 2012. 2022-23 was a nightmarish year as he posted the worst numbers of his career, finishing with 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and only 3,524 yards passing.
Payton even went as far as addressing Hackett by name and said that his new employer, the New York Jets, will be a big flop this season due to his inability to lead an offense, let alone a team, during his career.
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| Sean Payton All-Pro Reels/ Flickr |
Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh would respond to Payton’s comments in a very mature manner during his media availability at Jets Training camp this week. “I kind of live by a saying: ‘If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin.’ So hate away,” said Saleh. “Obviously, we’re doing something right if you’ve gotta talk about us when we don’t play you until week 4 and I’m good with it. The guys in the locker room, they’ve earned everything that’s coming to them and are really excited about what’s going on. There’s a lot of crows pecking at our necks but all you could do is spread your wings and keep flying high until those crows fall off and suffocate from the inability to breathe.”
Saleh also commented on the job Hackett has done so far in his short tenure as Jets Offensive Coordinator as “Phenomenal.”
The Jets are scheduled to face off against the Broncos in Week 5 out in Denver for what will be an important early season matchup for two of the NFL’s most talented rosters.