The Jets are in need of a quarterback for 2023; that's no secret. They shambled through last season with Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White doing the quarterbacking, and none of those guys will be next year's starter. What's a mystery is what they're doing in terms of coaching hires.
First they hired former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett (pictured) as their offensive coordinator. Hackett was fired in the final month of his disastrous season in Denver, and while he was the head coach, there's not much doubt it was his offense that finished last in the league in scoring.
Then they hired Todd Downing as passing game coordinator. Downing was also fired in the last month, after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Titans. These are the guys who will be the main architects of New York's offense in 2023.
The easy connection people are making with these otherwise hard-to-figure hires is that New York is trying to lure its next quarterback. Hackett, of course, was Aaron Rodgers' offensive coordinator from 2019-2021, and Rodgers and the Packers are widely expected to part ways. Downing, meanwhile, has worked with both Derek Carr (released yesterday) and Ryan Tannehill (potentially available). Either would also be an upgrade for the Jets.
But it doesn't really make much sense to hire coaches for that reason. Rodgers has had plenty of success without Hackett. Carr will have plenty of suitors; no reason to think he'd go out of his way to reunite with Downing. And their own track records running offenses are nothing to get particularly excited about.
Table below shows Hackett's eight years as offensive coordinator, with Buffalo, Jacksonville and Green Bay, and Downing's three years in that role (with the Raiders in 2017, before being fired, and the last two in Tennessee). Top-10 performances (in either passing or rushing) are in bold.
The numbers aren't pretty. Collectively, the two have coordinated just one top-10 passing offense (Rodgers' Packers in 2021). Only two of their 11 offenses have even ranked above average throwing it. They've fared better with ground games, with Hackett overseeing three top-10 rushing offenses, and Downing one (with Derrick Henry).
| HACKETT AND DOWNING OFFENSES, AS COORDINATOR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinator | Year | Team | Pass | Rk | Run | Rk |
| Hackett | 2013 | Bills | 194 | 28th | 144 | 2nd |
| Hackett | 2014 | Bills | 226 | 18th | 93 | 25th |
| Hackett | 2016 | Jaguars | 245 | 20th | 102 | 22nd |
| Downing | 2017 | Raiders | 235 | 17th | 97 | 25th |
| Hackett | 2017 | Jaguars | 232 | 18th | 141 | 1st |
| Hackett | 2018 | Jaguars | 215 | 26th | 108 | 19th |
| Hackett | 2019 | Packers | 251 | 19th | 112 | 15th |
| Hackett | 2020 | Packers | 269 | 11th | 132 | 8th |
| Downing | 2021 | Titans | 220 | 23rd | 141 | 5th |
| Hackett | 2021 | Packers | 266 | 9th | 112 | 18th |
| Downing | 2022 | Titans | 190 | 29th | 125 | 13th |
If the Jets do get Rodgers, their passing offense will certainly make some strides, regardless of what Hackett/Downing are contributing to things. And you can look at their histories and say things look positive for Breece Hall, assuming he makes a strong recovery from his ACL injury.
But failing the addition of Rodgers, or perhaps Carr, neither hire looks particularly likely to elevate the passing game. The Jets are putting a lot of stock in guys whose track record is nothing to write home about.
--Andy Richardson