Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson NFL cautionary tales

After the fourth game of his second season, the time had finally come. The New York Jets realized that Nathaniel Hackett was a fraud.

The Jets demoted the offensive coordinator this week after his offense ranked 29th in scoring (16.4) and 30th in yards per game (272.7) in his 22 games.

There's little joy in seeing Hackett exposed – the same thing happened in Jacksonville and Denver – but it has raised the curtain on a trend that must end.

Dear desperate NFL teams: Stop giving all the money and power to free agents or acquired quarterbacks.

It confuses the power dynamic and makes otherwise logical coaches and executives look like fanboy idiots. Look at the last three cases: Russell Wilson to the Broncos, Deshaun Watson to the Browns, and Aaron Rodgers to the Jets (Kirk Cousins ​​doesn't count because he's essentially on a two-year deal and a capable backup).

Desperate to compete in the AFC West, Broncos general manager George Paton had no ownership. That's why he traded five draft picks and three players to Seattle for Wilson. The Broncos gave in to all of his demands, including free access to the facility, a new contract, his own office and his own offense. It was an unmitigated disaster, marked by Hackett's unwillingness to tell a delusional Wilson that he wasn't Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Brady Quinn. The Broncos fired Hackett after 15 games and ended up paying Wilson $124 million for 11 wins.

And that's not even the worst contract ever. This belongs to Watson. The Browns traded for him, giving him a five-year contract with $230 million guaranteed. He has settled more sexual harassment lawsuits (24) than he has thrown touchdown passes (19) over the last three years. And the Browns still won't bench him because of the contract.

When Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich demoted Hackett this week, he praised Rodgers for supporting the decision, saying, “I'm lucky for that.” My word. Just make Rodgers the player/coach/GM. Has there ever been more evidence in the last two years about who is running the Jets? Imagine if Mike Shanahan, Bill Parcells or Sean Payton expressed how pleased they were that a player agreed with their decision.

The transactions of Wilson, Watson and Rodgers offer cautionary tales. And provide the impetus to draft a franchise quarterback and, if that's not possible, avoid going all-in on a veteran who is unaccountable to anyone.

One game, one problem: A game is not a long time. But that's all it takes to wonder whether the Avs (still) have a goaltending problem. The Knights defeated Alexandar Georgiev in the season opener with five goals and 16 shots. Here's the thing: Coach Bednar preaches defense, especially in the first two months while the Avs wait for reinforcements. This message will be undermined if Georgiev becomes unusable.

The hunter: With an impressive two-way performance in the win over Kansas State, CU's Travis Hunter becomes the Heisman favorite. His chances of winning the award will increase exponentially if the Buffs remain in the running for the Big 12 title. But he'll have a hard time topping Boise State running back Ashton “The Human First Down” Jeanty, who is on pace for 2,680 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns.