Cal Sports Report

Will Broncos' Hiring of Nathaniel Hackett Mean Aaron Rodgers Heads to Denver?

Former Cal quarterback has had success with Hackett, who has been the Packers offensive coordinator the past three years

Jake Curtis

Will Broncos' Hiring of Nathaniel Hackett Mean Aaron Rodgers Heads to Denver?
Will Broncos' Hiring of Nathaniel Hackett Mean Aaron Rodgers Heads to Denver? /
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It seems every NFL transaction is assessed for its possible impact on Aaron Rodgers' decision about his future.

Thursday's reports that the Denver Broncos will hire Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their next head coach adds fuel to speculation that the former Cal quarterback could join the Broncos.

"You have to connect the dots," Former NFL general manager Louis Riddick said on ESPN .

There were constant rumors in the offseason before the 2021 season that Rodgers might be headed to Denver.  That's when Rodgers was requesting a trade, and had specified the Broncos, Raiders and 49ers as the three teams he would like to join. All along it was reported that the Broncos were the most likely destination if the Packers made a trade.

No trade was made, Rodgers had another outstanding season, and here we are again, with Rodgers saying he will make a decision about his future well before free agency begins on March 16.

San Francisco, being in the NFC, was unlikely to be a place the Packers would send their star quarterback in a trade, and they drafted Trey Lance No. 3 overall. The Raiders seem satisfied with Derek Carr.

But the Broncos finished 7-10, with the quarterback spot, manned by Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, viewed as the main shortcoming.

So in steps Hackett, who has been the Packers' offensive coordinator the past three years.  Rodgers was named MVP in the Hackett offense last season and is expected to win that award again this year. Rodgers has often noted he has a lot of respect for Hackett, who is just four years older than the 38-year-old Rodgers.

Rodgers' numbers with Hackett as the Packers' offensive coordinator are impressive:

Aaron Rodgers numbers with Hackett

The Packers enter the offseason $45 million over the cap, while Denver has the sixth-most salary cap space of any NFL team, being about $44.8 million under the cap.

So things seem to be lining up for Rodgers to go to Denver. It leads to this question: Are the Broncos hiring Hackett because they expect Rodgers to come with him? Is it a package deal? After all, a quarterback probably has a bigger impact on a team's success than the head coach.

Rodgers has said he is still contemplating retiring, and he could still decide to stay with the Packers.  Rodgers is not a free agent, but elements in his restructured contract apparently provide a way to leave the Packers for another team if he chooses.

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Benny Sieu, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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