Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets Troll Sean Payton After Team Beats Denver Broncos
The New York Jets got revenge on Sean Payton for his Nathaniel Hackett comments.
The New York Jets had the game against the Denver Broncos circled before the start of the season due to Broncos head coach Sean Payton attacking Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for his time with the Broncos last year. And when the Jets beat the Broncos 31-21 on Sunday, Aaron Rodgers celebrated in a big way. On social media, the injured Jets quarterback wrote, "W" with the hashtag "Hackett." Rodgers and Hackett, who was the Broncos head coach last year, have a strong relationship as they both were with the Green Bay Packers before joining the Jets.
The Jets social media team trolled the Broncos by writing, "when you lose to the 'offseason champs,'" with a photo of actor Kevin James who played Payton in the Netflix movie Home Team. During the summer, Payton went after Hackett for his slow start with the Broncos in 2022.
W. #hackett❤️ #
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) October 8, 2023
"It doesn't happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed," Payton said during the interview. "And that happened here [with the Broncos]. Part of it was their own fault, relative to spending so much [expletive] time trying to win the offseason — the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff."
when you lose to the "offseason champs" pic.twitter.com/FzNIqGWZks
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2023
Rodgers had a strong response for Payton when he heard the comments. "It made me feel bad that someone who has accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some easy fall if it doesn't go well for that team this year," Rodgers said during Jets training camp. "I think it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches' names out of his mouth."
The loss for the Broncos puts them at 1-4 on the year. At this point last season, the Hackett-led Broncos were 2-3. Payton was hired to get the Broncos back on track as they have not reached the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl during the 2015 season. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021 and led the team to 153 wins, nine playoff wins, one NFC Championship and a Super Bowl title during the 2009 season.