The Green Bay Packers have named Nathaniel Hackett offensive coordinator. Head Coach Matt LaFleur made the announcement Wednesday.
Hackett comes to the Packers after spending the majority of the last four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as quarterbacks coach (2015-16) and then offensive coordinator (Week 9 of 2016 – Week 12 of 18). In 2017, he guided an offense that finished in the top 10 in the NFL in points per game (No. 5, 26.1), yards per game (No. 6, 365.9), rushing yards per game (No. 1, 141.4), rushing yards per carry (No. 9, 4.29), red-zone TD percentage (No. 2, 64.0 percent), goal-to-go TD percentage (No. 1, 85.7 percent), sacks allowed (T-No. 3, franchise-low 24), sacks per pass attempt (No. 6, 4.55 percent) and average time of possession (No. 5, 31:47). It was the first time in franchise history that the Jaguars led the league in rushing. Jacksonville averaged 25.0 points during the 2017 postseason, helping the Jaguars reach the AFC Championship Game.
Prior to Jacksonville, Hackett was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills from 2013-14. In his second season with Buffalo, the offense finished with an 86.0 passer rating, the highest for the Bills since 2002. Buffalo also totaled 33 plays of 25-plus yards, No. 6 in the NFL in 2014 and the most for the Bills since 2000. In 2013, he led a Bills offense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL with a red-zone scoring mark of 95.5 percent and No. 2 in the NFL with an average of 144.2 rushing yards per game, the best rushing mark by Buffalo since 1992 (152.3 yards per game).
Hackett joined the Bills after three years at Syracuse, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/tight ends coach in 2011-12 after spending the 2010 season as quarterbacks/passing game/tight ends coach. Under his direction, the Orange set numerous school records in 2012, including total offense (6,188 yards), yards per game (476.0), passing yards (3,757), touchdown passes (26), completions (295) and first downs (328). The Orange featured a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in 2012 for the first time in school history while eclipsing 500-plus yards of offense in seven games.
Hackett’s first NFL experience came in 2006-07 as an offensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2008-09, he would work in the same position for the Buffalo Bills. From 2003-04, Hackett worked as an assistant to the offensive and defensive coordinators at Stanford. He remained with the Cardinal in 2005 as a specialists coach and recruiting coordinator. Hackett’s coaching career began as an assistant linebackers coach at University of California-Davis, where he was a four-year letterman as a linebacker and long snapper from 1999-2002.
