Jeff Hafley is wasting no time building his Miami Dolphins coaching staff-and he's turning to some very familiar faces to do it.
The Dolphins’ new head coach, who arrived in Miami after serving as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, is bringing in Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s quarterbacks coach. It marks the fourth addition to Hafley’s staff from Green Bay in recent days, and it’s clear there’s a pattern emerging: Hafley is leaning on coaches he knows and trusts.
Hackett joins a growing list of former Packers staffers making the move to South Florida, including defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, linebackers coach Sean Duggan, and defensive quality control assistant Wendel Davis. All four worked with Hafley during his time in Green Bay, and their collective move signals a strong sense of continuity and shared philosophy that Hafley is aiming to carry into his first head coaching job in the NFL.
Hackett’s return to a quarterbacks-focused role is an interesting twist in a career that’s seen both highs and lows. Most recently, he served as a defensive analyst with the Packers in 2025-an unusual assignment for someone whose roots and reputation are built on the offensive side of the ball. But that stint came after a turbulent few years that included a brief, rocky tenure as the Denver Broncos’ head coach and a challenging run as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.
Of course, Hackett’s name still carries weight in quarterback circles, thanks largely to his first stint in Green Bay from 2019 to 2021. As the Packers’ offensive coordinator, he helped guide Aaron Rodgers through back-to-back MVP seasons.
Rodgers was vocal in his praise for Hackett during that time, often advocating for him as a head coaching candidate. That endorsement helped Hackett land the top job in Denver in 2022-but things unraveled quickly.
The Broncos went 4-11 under Hackett, and after a brutal 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas Day, he was dismissed before completing his first season. Denver finished dead last in scoring offense that year, a stark contrast to the high-efficiency attack Hackett once helped orchestrate in Green Bay.
Still, Hackett found another opportunity in 2023, reuniting with Rodgers as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. But the reunion was cut short-Rodgers tore his Achilles just four snaps into the season, and the Jets’ offense never found its footing, cycling through multiple quarterbacks in a frustrating campaign. The following year, amid a coaching shakeup in New York, Hackett was stripped of playcalling duties.
That led him back to Green Bay in 2025, where he reconnected with Hafley, who was in his second year as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. Now, the two are teaming up again, this time in Miami, with Hackett stepping into a role that could be pivotal depending on how the Dolphins’ quarterback situation shakes out.
And that’s the big question: Who will Hackett be coaching?
New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan-another former Packer-was noncommittal at his introductory press conference, saying the team’s quarterback situation is still “to be determined.” That includes the future of Tua Tagovailoa, who remains under contract but whose long-term status with the franchise is anything but certain.
Sullivan spent over two decades in Green Bay’s front office, and his presence alongside Hafley only deepens the Packers-to-Dolphins pipeline. It’s clear the new leadership tandem is building something with a shared vision-and they’re doing it with people who’ve been in the trenches together.
As for Hackett, this move offers a chance to reset and refocus on what he does best: working with quarterbacks. Whether that’s Tua, a rookie, or someone else entirely, the Dolphins are betting on Hackett’s experience and his chemistry with Hafley to help guide the next phase of their offense.