It has been a rocky first year for the New York Jets.
They have endured a slew of injuries and for the 11th straight year, they have missed the playoffs.
All of that negativity has raised questions about the future of head coach Robert Saleh. On Sunday morning one of the top NFL insiders in the business revealed his fate.
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Job Secured for Another Year
During his Sunday morning briefing, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport updated everyone on the status of teams with coaching questions with two weeks to go in the regular season.
At the end of his column, he addressed Saleh’s situation with the Jets saying wins have been hard to come by however “there have been more than enough promising signs that [Saleh] isn’t in any trouble.”
The 42-year-old is someone the Jets “want to build around” and will return in 2022, per Rapoport.
There is no question it has been another disappointing season marred by double-digit losses for the fifth time in six years. Although the arrow seems to be pointing in the right direction on several fronts.
The Rubber Is Going to Hit the Road
While there were enough promising signs beyond wins and losses in 2021, there are no such excuses in 2022.
For the majority of the last eight years, the Jets season has been over by Halloween. In other words, the green and white have been playing meaningless football for far too long.
There isn’t necessarily a playoff mandate for Saleh in 2022, but there is an “in the hunt” mandate. What does that mean?
Well if you have ever watched games on an NFL Sunday, at the beginning and end of contests you have likely seen a graphic that pops up on the screen revealing the playoff picture.
On top of showing what teams are placed where in terms of seeding, the right side of the graphic is dedicated to all the teams “in the hunt.”
That is a general term that essentially includes every team that hasn’t been eliminated from the playoffs. It is a glimmering hope that maybe there is a chance you can compete for a spot in the seven-team representation in the postseason.
The Jets have a bevy of assets to flip the narrative this offseason with four picks in the top-38 and they’re projected to have north of $51 million in 2022 cap space (eighth-most in the NFL).
There has been too much talk about development and progression and now it’s time for the Gang Green brass to come out and say they’re competing for the postseason.
Put it out into the universe that you have high expectations and that energy and belief will permeate throughout the locker room.
Rex Ryan had a lot of faults as a head coach, but one thing he didn’t lack was confidence. The bold words at his pressers brought an infectious energy to the locker room and that translated to the field.
Time for Saleh and company to take a page out of that playbook and bring some swag to the table in 2022.
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Robert Saleh’s Future With the Jets Now Decided: Report