The Miami Dolphins are bringing in a familiar face to help steer their quarterback room, hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new quarterbacks coach.
Hackett joins Miami with over two decades of experience coaching at both the college and NFL levels. Most recently, he served as a defensive analyst with the Green Bay Packers during the 2025 season - a role that reunited him with current Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley. That connection likely played a key role in this move, as Hafley and Hackett now look to bring cohesion and clarity to a Miami offense that’s entering a pivotal offseason.
While Hackett’s most recent coaching stop was on the defensive side, his roots - and reputation - are firmly planted in offensive football. He spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, where he was handpicked by Aaron Rodgers during the quarterback’s brief and injury-shortened tenure in New York. But Hackett’s highest-profile role came in 2022, when he was hired as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
That Denver stint, however, didn’t go as planned. Tasked with revitalizing the franchise around newly acquired quarterback Russell Wilson, Hackett’s tenure quickly unraveled.
The Broncos stumbled to a 4-11 record under his leadership, and Hackett was dismissed before the season finale. Game management issues - especially with the clock - became a recurring storyline, and the offense never found its rhythm.
But in Miami, Hackett won’t be wearing the head coach’s headset. He’ll be focused solely on developing the Dolphins’ quarterbacks, a role that has long played to his strengths.
Around the league, Hackett is still respected for his offensive acumen, particularly his time as the offensive coordinator in Green Bay from 2019 to 2021. During that stretch, the Packers were one of the NFL’s most efficient and explosive units, and Aaron Rodgers captured back-to-back MVP awards.
Hackett’s ability to tailor game plans to his quarterback’s strengths was a major part of that success.
In Miami, he’ll be teaming up with newly promoted offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who’s stepping into a bigger role after serving as a key part of the Dolphins’ offensive staff. Together, Slowik and Hackett will be tasked with stabilizing and elevating a quarterback room that’s facing some uncertainty.
At the center of that uncertainty: Tua Tagovailoa. The former first-round pick’s future with the Dolphins remains up in the air, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be under center when the 2026 season kicks off. But if Tagovailoa does return, Hackett’s job will be clear - help him tap back into the form he showed in 2022 and 2023, when he was one of the league’s most accurate and efficient passers.
This hire isn’t about headlines. It’s about fit.
Hackett has a proven track record of connecting with quarterbacks and understanding what makes an offense tick. In Miami, he’ll get the chance to do just that - without the burden of head coaching responsibilities - and potentially help unlock the next level of play from whoever lines up under center.