A star running back free agent looking for employment might have killed off his chance to play for one team this season after he made NFL news this week with criticism that appeared to be aimed at his former head coach. Melvin Gordon wasn’t impressed with the Denver Broncos situation last season under former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Hackett survived as the Broncos’ head coach for 15 games before he was fired. Rumors surfaced the main reason the Broncos hired Hackett was to lure Aaron Rodgers for a trade with Green Bay. That didn’t work out, and Hackett instead was paired with Russell Wilson, who had the worst season of his NFL career in 2022.
Larry Radloff (Icon Sportswire from Getty Images)
Gordon started the season with the Broncos, playing for ten games, but finished as a Super Bowl champion on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. Hackett’s staff cut the two-time Pro Bowl running back in a season where he averaged coughing up the ball once every two games. It’s fair to say Gordon didn’t exactly help Hackett keep his job through the season.
NFL News: Melvin Gordon criticizes former Green Bay Packers OC
Gordon recently opened up about the Broncos’ situation for 2023 as a guest on the Jim Rome Show recently. Gordon said Wilson has the potential to have an MVP type of season because the Broncos have an “MVP coach” in Sean Payton. After praising Payton, Gordon criticized the “situation” the Broncos team had to endure last season.
“The situation wasn’t, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good,” Gordon said. “But like I said, I think they’ve got the pieces there now that’s gonna put him in the best situation. Now, what [Wilson will] do this year? It’s on him, but I definitely believe they’ll be a better football team than they were last year.”
It’s hard to take those comments as anything but a shot at Hackett. The Broncos season was a disaster with Hackett as a head coach. Hackett made several dumb decisions during his brief time as a head coach.
Gordon also spent part of the interview with Rome talking about how difficult it be to find employment and earn pay as a running back in the modern league. The 30-year-old running back is a free agent this offseason.
One team that could use a veteran running back is the Jets, who employ Hackett as their offensive coordinator. The Jets have been linked to Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook. Gordon’s recent comments seem to knock out his chances of being a Jets running back this season.
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