Hackett laments Payton's criticism: He broke the coaches' code

Nathaniel Hackett believes Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton crossed a line.

After Payton criticized Hackett on Thursday for "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL" during his time with the Broncos, the New York Jets offensive coordinator expressed frustration with his successor Tuesday.

"There's a code," Hackett said, according to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt. "There's a way things are done. ... It's unfortunate about the comments that were made, but they did."

Hackett said he was surprised that the comments came well before the two teams meet in Week 5 this season, but he added, "It is what it is. We move on."

Payton, 59, also said this year's Jets could be setting themselves up for a similarly embarrassing year to the 2022 Broncos, commenting that he "can see it coming."

While Payton publicly expressed regret over the comments Friday, Hackett said he hasn't received an apology and isn't expecting one, according to ESPN's Diana Russini.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers defended Hackett on Sunday. The signal-caller, who played with Hackett from 2019-2021 while with the Green Bay Packers, said the 43-year-old is one of his favorite coaches from his time in the NFL. He also called Payton's comments "way out of line" and "inappropriate."