The Miami Dolphins lost their quarterback coach, Darrell Bevell, because Jeff Hafley is hiring someone else for the job. He isn't very good.
Nathanial Hackett has been around the NFL for a long time. He has head coaching experience and offensive coordinator experience, and he has failed at both of them miserably. Now he will coach the Dolphins' quarterbacks.
Hackett's coaching stops have not been great, but it's his connection to Aaron Rodgers that suddenly has fans trying to connect the dots. Hackett coached him in Green Bay, lured him to the Jets while he was there, the Dolphins need a veteran QB, and Hackett is now coaching that position. Dot-to-dot-to-dot.
Miami Dolphins signing Nathaniel Hackett will immediately draw Aaron Rodgers connections
Somehow, when you connect them all, you get one of those frown face emojis. Could this really happen? Rodgers has said he wants to retire, but he has said that before. He is taking the Brett Favre route to the Hall of Fame.
Yes, the Dolphins need a quarterback, and yes, Rodgers will be available, and if they did look his way, he would land a one-year deal before walking away from the league, but the chances of him opting to join the Dolphins are remote.
First, Miami has nothing to offer him. They are cash-strapped against the cap, they have no offensive linemen to promise his protection, a receiver group that is one name, and a potentially great rushing attack.
Signing Rodgers would literally go against everything Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan have talked about since arriving. He isn't the team player he used to be, and his attitude and work ethic are not what you want younger guys learning from. Is there a trade-off between that and his knowledge level of defenses? Probably not much at this point.
The bigger issue isn't whether or not Rodgers is added to the Dolphins; it's Hackett himself. Green Bay fans loved when he left, hated his return last year as a defensive analyst, and Denver couldn't wait to get rid of him and hire Sean Payton. He was one-and-done in Denver.
What is interesting is that Hackett has been an OC for four different NFL teams. His best years were with the Packers for three seasons. They didn't make it past the conference title game.
In Miami, he won't be calling the plays, but the leash on Bobby Slowik might have gotten a little shorter. If Slowik struggles this year, don't be surprised if Hafley turns the offense over to Hackett in 2027.