A 51-14 loss on the road to the Los Angeles Rams in front of a national audience was the last straw for the Denver Broncos. On Monday, they fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett after going 4-11 in a disappointing 2022 season, know his salary, wife and stats
The Broncos bought quarterback Russell Wilson in the offseason in hopes of getting back into the playoffs. According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, the Broncos are averaging the fewest points in the league (15.5 points per game), which is also the fewest points the team has averaged since 1971. Since winning Super Bowl 50, they haven’t made the playoffs for seven straight years.
Jeff Legwold, a reporter for the Broncos, and Mike Tannenbaum, who works in the NFL front office, answer the most important questions about Hackett’s firing and what comes next for one of the league’s most historic teams.
Nathaniel Hackett Broncos Ex-Head Coach, Age, Family, Wife, Coaching Record, Stats, Salary, Contract, Net Worth
It could be a long list. Shane Steichen could be in the running because he helped put together one of the best offences in the league. Demeco Ryans, who is the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, could also be a candidate.
Nathaniel Hackett ๐ pic.twitter.com/eZAOEIfm0s
— PFT Gym (@PFTGym) December 26, 2022
So could Dan Quinn, who is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, and Lou Anarumo, who is the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. The name of Sean Payton, who used to coach the New Orleans Saints, will come up in any search for a new coach.
Whats Next For Nathaniel Hackett’s Career?
This was Hackett’s first head coaching job in the NFL. He has been a coordinator at both the college and professional levels since 2003, so he has a lot of experience.
Forbes and Business Insider both say that Hackett has a net worth of $9 million. But that might only include base salaries and not any bonuses that may have been part of his contracts in the past. He was on a $4 million annual salary contract with the Broncos.
People think he made between $3 and $5 million in the NFL. This is compared to other NFL head coaches who had about the same amount of experience when they took over.
Hackett and his wife, Megan, have four children together and he is the son of former college football and NFL coach Paul Hackett. While a student at UC Davis, 43 year old Hackett became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.
After five straight losing seasons, the Denver Broncos fired their head coach Vic Fangio less than 24 hours after the season’s last game. The Broncos then tried to find the best person to lead their team back to success.
Josh McDaniels and Nathaniel Hackett seeing each other in the unemployment line pic.twitter.com/qPp8A2rlPz
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) December 22, 2022
Nathaniel Hackett was the one the Broncos chose. The timing was interesting because the 42-year-old was going to have a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Before being hired to coach the Broncos, he had been the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator since 2019. Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Packers, praised him for his work with the offence and his ability to quickly and accurately break down information.
He had been with the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2015 before joining the Packers. From 2016 to 2018, he was first their quarterbacks coach and then their offensive coordinator.
He was given credit for getting Blake Bortles, who used to be the quarterback for the Jaguars, and the offence to the AFC Championship game.
Nathaniel Hackett’s Start As A Coach
He got his start as a coach in 2003 when UC Davis hired him as an assistant linebackers coach. In 2006, he became the quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which was his first job in the National Football League.
As the Broncos’ first-ever head coach, he was in charge of both offence and defence. Even though the defence showed promise, the most work needed to be done on the offence and special teams.
Before the offseason, the Denver Broncos were in a good spot. They had about $50 million left in salary cap space and 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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