Former Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is reuniting with former Bills head coach Doug Marrone in Jacksonville. (Photo: Kevin Hoffman — USA Today Sports)
BBD Editor: Dan Hope
As they were with the Buffalo Bills, and previously with Syracuse, Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett will be coaching together again in 2015—albeit in smaller roles than they held with the Bills the past two years.
Hackett was hired Thursday to be the quarterbacks coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hired Marrone to coach their offensive line last week. Hackett was the Bills’ offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, but was replaced by Greg Roman this offseason after Marrone opted out of his contract on New Year’s Eve after two years as the Bills’ head coach.
Nathaniel Hackett named #Jaguars QB coach. More info: http://t.co/r7Y3mHKwuc pic.twitter.com/ZpcBQR4Imp
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 29, 2015
Hackett, whose hiring by the Jaguars was first reported Wednesday by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, was also reportedly in the running for the St. Louis Rams’ offensive coordinator opening, but decided to follow Marrone to Jacksonville instead.
Some have questioned why Hackett would pull out of a potential coordinator gig to become a position coach, but it’s no surprise that he decided to stay with Marrone when granted the opportunity. Presumably, Hackett would be Marrone’s top choice for an offensive coordinator once again if Marrone is able to land another head coaching job in 2016.
The bigger question is whether Hackett is the right man for a tough job in Jacksonville, as he will now bear responsibility for the development of second-year Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who struggled throughout his rookie season. The Jaguars will certainly be expecting Hackett to yield better results than he did over the course of two years with EJ Manuel in Buffalo.
