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Jets demote OC Nathaniel Hackett, strip him of play-calling duties under new interim head coach

Jeff Ulbrich says Todd Downing will be orchestrating New York's offense

liz roscher
Staff writer
·2 min read

More changes are afoot for the New York Jets. New interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich announced Thursday that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett would no longer be the team's gameday play-caller. Replacing Hackett as play-caller will be Todd Downing, the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Ulbrich replaced Robert Saleh, who was fired earlier this week. During Thursday's announcement, Ulbrich said that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is close to Hackett after spending years working with him on the Green Bay Packers, understood and supported the decision to promote Downing and demote Hackett.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson summed up the drama in Tuesday's QB Room column before the play-calling announcement was made official:

There are conflicting accounts from sources of what exactly happened Tuesday. One is that Saleh arrived at the facility Tuesday, arranged a staff meeting and announced that he had stripped Hackett’s play-calling duties and awarded them to passing game coordinator Todd Downing … then was fired by Johnson. Another is that Saleh arrived at the facility and intended to call the meeting where Hackett’s play-calling duties were stripped, but was fired prior to the meeting taking place. And a third is that Saleh was merely considering taking away Hackett’s play-calling, but was fired before he could make a decision. The accounts coming out of the Jets’ facility are messy, at best. ...

What I was told Tuesday is that Johnson is as frustrated right now with Hackett as he has been with Saleh.

 

Ulbrich said he will continue to call plays for the defense.

The Jets are 2-3 this season and have struggled tremendously on offense. Downing will get his first shot as play-caller Monday night, when the Jets face the Buffalo Bills at 8:15 p.m. ET.