GREEN BAY – The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their next head coach.
Hackett, 42, was an inaugural member of Head Coach Matt LaFleur's coaching staff in 2019. He was Green Bay's offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, guiding one of the NFL's most potent offenses that consistently ranked inside the top 10 in scoring, fewest giveaways, red-zone touchdown percentage and time of possession.
The 2020 offense set a franchise record with 80% TD efficiency inside the red zone, which Hackett liked to refer to as the "gold zone" due to his love of the movie, "Goldmember." During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, LaFleur also praised Hackett for helping organize the team's virtual offseason program.
"I absolutely do (think he's ready), and I'm excited for him," said LaFleur when asked last month about Hackett's readiness to be a head coach.
"(We're) so fortunate that he's been a part of this staff. He is as big of a reason as anybody of our success here. I would hate to lose him but at the same time I would be so happy for him and I know he's ready for that opportunity."
Hackett, the son of longtime NFL and college coach Paul Hackett, is the first assistant coach from LaFleur's staff to land an NFL head-coaching position.
Prior to coming to Green Bay, Hackett served as the offensive coordinator in Buffalo (2013-14), Jacksonville (2016-18) and Syracuse University (2011-12).
During his season-ending news conference Monday, LaFleur said he likely would hire from within to replace Hackett as offensive coordinator if he left for a head-coaching opportunity.
"We've got a lot of confidence in the guys that we have on our staff," said LaFleur on Monday. "We've got so many good guys. It's not going to be an easy decision, let me just tell you that."
