Jets head coach Robert Saleh returns fire after Sean Payton criticism: 'Hate away'

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An unsuspecting matchup between the New York Jets and Denver Broncos in Week 4 is gearing up to be a must-watch game thanks to a war of words that new head coach Sean Payton seemingly started with his criticism of Jets’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Payton unloaded on Hackett and his first year with the Broncos in an interview with USA Today published Thursday. He called out the former head coach who was fired after he compiled a 4-11 record in Denver last season.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton addresses the media during OTAs. (Getty Images)

"It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed," Payton told the outlet. "And that happened here. Part of it was their own fault relative to spending so much (expletive) time trying to win the offseason – the PR, the pomp and circumstance, marching people around and all this stuff."

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"We’re not doing any of that. The Jets did that this year. You watch."

Payton also seemingly placed the blame on Hackett and others when addressing Russell Wilson’s dismal year.

"There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms, the offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it."

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett of the Denver Broncos looks on from the sidelines against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High on November 20, 2022, in Denver. (Justin Edmonds/Getty