Hall of Fame basketball coach says he’s seen enough from Broncos’ Nathaniel Hackett

The Denver Broncos entered the 2022 NFL season with sky-high hopes after trading for quarterback Russell Wilson during the offseason. 

It has not gone the way anyone around the organization planned, with the Broncos stumbling to a 2-5 start, losers of four games in a row. 

First-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett has taken the brunt of the criticism, with many questioning his end-of-game decisions and inability to get the offense going. 

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It has gotten so bad that former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl is calling for Hackett to be ousted. 

“I always support coaches and would rarely advocate for their firing,” Karl wrote on Twitter. “But Hackett needs to be done in Denver with the Broncos. 

“The search needs to begin immediately for someone who can connect with Wilson and make him a player again. Nathaniel doesn’t appear to be that person.”

Karl, who coached the Nuggets from 2004-2013, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2022 class. 

Karl knows a thing or two about losing a job, having been fired five times during his 27-year coaching career, according to NBA.com. 

Hackett became the head coach of the Broncos after spending seven years as an offensive coordinator, but the offense in Denver has struggled mightily. 

Denver is last in the NFL in points scored per game (14.3) and their 328.6 yards per game ranks near the bottom of the league.

While most coaches are given more than one year on the job, the NFL did see two first-year coaches fired last season. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer after just 13 games, and the Houston Texas fired head coach David Culley after a 4-13 campaign. 

Wilson missed Denver’s Week 7 loss to the New York Jets with a hamstring injury but will start against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.