Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett responds to Joe Namath, Chiefs' Willie Gay Jr.

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett addressed controversial comments offered by Hall of Famer Joe Namath and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. this week. 

"He's a great, great football player," Hackett said about Namath while speaking with reporters on Thursday, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "He has every right to his opinion. And we have every right to prove him wrong." 

Namath, arguably the most beloved figure in the history of the franchise, went viral when he said during a Monday appearance on the ESPN New York "The Michael Kay Show" that he has "seen enough of Zach Wilson" playing quarterback for the Jets. "Broadway Joe" also suggested that "some cats on the defensive side" of the ball weren't thrilled head coach Robert Saleh was sticking with Wilson, a take that may have been confirmed via a later report. 

Saleh told media members on Wednesday that his door is "always open for (Namath) to walk in and my office is always open for him." 

Meanwhile, Gay generated headlines Wednesday when he said that the Jets are now merely "a team that wants to run the ball" with Wilson instead of the injured Aaron Rodgers in the lineup. Gay added the Jets entered a "panic mode" after Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles in Week 1.

"If you take our body of work these last few games, it hasn't been pretty," Hackett acknowledged while responding to Gay.

The 1-2 Jets host the 2-1 Chiefs this coming Sunday night. 

Per ESPN, Wilson went into Thursday's NFL action ranked dead last among qualified quarterbacks with a 52.4% completion percentage and a 57.0 passer rating on the season. He was also 33rd out of 34 players with a 26.7 adjusted QBR at that time. 

Wilson will start against the Chiefs but could be replaced by either unproven backup Tim Boyle or journeyman Trevor Siemian when the Jets play at the Denver Broncos on Oct. 8.