Rodgers: Falcons Would Be ‘Lucky’ to Have Hackett as Coach

“I think he’s earned it,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Nathaniel Hackett being in the running for the Atlanta Falcons' head coach position.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is interviewing for the Atlanta Falcons’ head coaching vacancy.

“I think any team would be lucky to have him leading their squad,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Thursday.

While coach Matt LaFleur calls the plays, Hackett has helped assemble the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL. Green Bay is No. 1 in the NFL in the red zone – or the “gold zone,” as Hackett has coined it in honor of “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

“I think he’s earned it,” LaFleur, his team on a bye after earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, said after Thursday’s practice. “He deserves a shot at it. I think he’d do a hell of a job. Everything that he’s added, the value that he’s brought here, it’s hard to quantify that. He does a great job with our entire offense, a great job of leading our offensive staff, and so I’m excited for him to get his opportunity. There’s no doubt that he is fully capable of doing a great job and somebody would be lucky to have a guy like him.”

Since beating the Packers in the 2016 NFC Championship Game and blowing a big lead in the Super Bowl against New England, the Falcons went 7-9 in 2017, 7-9 in 2018 and 4-12 in 2019 despite the presence of former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan.

Atlanta is one of six teams looking for a coach. This is the first known interview for Hackett, who is the son of longtime coach Paul Hackett.

The Falcons have interviewed interim coach Raheem Morris, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

“I think one of the pre-req’s to being a good head coach is presence in front of a room,” Rodgers said. “You have to have the kind of innate charisma and ability to captivate your audience, and part of that captivation is in the way you talk, your cadence, your inflection, storytelling ability, and I think those are underrated qualities that a coach can have. Nate has all those things. He’s able to captivate the audience, which is usually the offense. Anytime he gets up in his meetings, he has great energy. I don’t know how he does it sometimes. To have a beautiful wife and four kids and all the demands that being a father has on you, and then to be able to bring it every single day at the facility is very admirable.”

Hackett’s first NFL job was as a quality control coach with Tampa Bay in 2006 and 2007. He’s also served as offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills in 2013-2014 and Jacksonville Jaguars from 2016-2018. The 2017 Jaguars reached the AFC Championship Game behind an offense that was fifth in scoring. Late in the 2018 season, with the Jaguars’ offense having plunged to 31st in scoring, he was fired by then-coach Doug Marrone.

“I think definitely ready (to become a head coach),” Hackett said. “I think it’s something that you’re thinking about the minute that you get into this profession. And then looking at the past and all the things that I’ve been through and all the learning moments that I’ve had – things to do, things not to do – I think it’s just been incredible just turning back, reflecting and looking at all those different things and becoming the person that I am from growing up in this profession to all the different experiences to now being with coach LaFleur and this great organization. I think being with a great quarterback, great players, great people, I think you take so much from all those people, and you just continue to learn from all that. I think that at this point in my life, I love exactly where I am. I think this is an amazing place.”