Broncos' Sean Payton Says Nathaniel Hackett Among Worst NFL HC Performances Ever | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton didn't mince words when discussing the job his predecessor did.

Speaking to USA Today's Jarrett Bell, Payton said Nathaniel Hackett turned in "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL" with the Broncos last season.

Payton did point out Hackett wasn't solely responsible for the issues that plagued the 2022 Broncos. He said the entire organization got "embarrassed" because they spent "so much (expletive) time trying to win the offseason–the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff."

The 59-year-old also called out the "(poor) offensive line" and noted "everybody's got a little stink on their hands" in reference to the struggles Russell Wilson had.

But it's hard not to focus on what Hackett did with the team as the main reason the Broncos went 5-12 after starting the season with high expectations thanks to the addition of Wilson.

Hackett looked overwhelmed right out of the gate with terrible clock management, which prompted Broncos fans to count down the play clock for a Week 2 home game to make sure the offense avoided delay-of-game penalties.

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Peyton Manning would have handled the final minute different than Denver did…. <a href="">

Denver hired Hackett as its head coach in January 2022 to replace Vic Fangio. The 43-year-old spent the previous three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

The marriage between the Broncos and Hackett fell apart almost immediately. He wound up getting fired after a 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day that dropped Denver's record to 4-11.

Hackett became the fourth head coach since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 who didn't finish his first season with a team.

In an attempt to make a swift turnaround, the Broncos paid a steep price to get Payton. They traded a 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2024 second-rounder to the New Orleans Saints for the rights to Payton's contract and a 2024 third-round pick.

While exact terms of his contract with Denver are unknown, Mike Klis of 9News.com reported Payton will earn "somewhere" between $17 to $20 million per season on his five-year deal with the club.

Payton went 152-89 with nine playoff appearances and a victory in Super Bowl 44 in 15 seasons with the Saints.

The Broncos haven't had a winning season since 2016 (9-7) and haven't made the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 campaign.