Massive changes could be coming for the New York Jets.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said, “It’s difficult to believe that [Robert] Saleh, or general manager Joe Douglas, for that matter, can survive this season if it keeps going this way.”
Following the Jets’ 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, coach Saleh was asked if he is worried about his own job security and if he isn’t, why is that the case?
Saleh responded, “No, I’m not. I’m not worried about it.”
Rosenblatt wrote in his column on Friday, November 24 that “maybe he should be.”
.@antwanstaley asked #Jets HC Robert Saleh if he is worried about his job security & if he isn’t, why is that the case?
“No, I’m not. I’m not worried about it.”
Saleh didn’t answer the second half of Staley’s question.
Saleh and Douglas Regime Are in the Midst of Historic Jets Losing
The Jets lost its fourth game in a row in Week 12 and fell to 4-7 on the season.
Saleh has 45 games under his belt as the Jets’ head coach. During that two and a half season span, Saleh boasts a 15-30 overall record.
That .333 winning percentage is No. 6 worst among Jets head coaches in franchise history. The only head coaches that have been worse are Adam Gase (.281), Lou Holtz (.231), Ken Shipp (.200), Rich Kotite (.125), and Mike Holovak (.000).
Douglas has an even larger sample size having been hired during the summer of 2019. The latest loss to the Dolphins puts his overall record at 24-53 since taking over the Jets and his winning percentage at .312.
The Jets have the NFL’s longest active playoff drought in the league at 12 seasons and it seems destined to reach 13 seasons with this year’s playoff hopes on life support.
In the history of the Jets franchise, they have never gone this length of time between playoff appearances. The previous record was 11 seasons from 1970 through 1981. In other words, the Jets are as bad now as they have ever been.
Jets Firings Could Be a Risky Proposition
The Jets would be well within their rights to fire Saleh and/or Douglas based on their lack of winning. However, that decision could have massive ripple effects.
This current regime, along with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, helped sell Aaron Rodgers on coming here in the first place.
The Green Bay Packers granted the Jets permission to fly out to California to meet with Rodgers and gauge his interest in a potential partnership. Gang Green was successful in its efforts to persuade Rodgers to continue his career in the big apple.
Once the Jets got that green light the two sides spent the following weeks and months hammering out the finer point details of a trade.
If Woody Johnson decided to clean house and remove some or all of the pieces that Rodgers bought in on that could ruffle his feathers.
The former four-time NFL MVP has been adamant that he has a “few good years left” in him and he said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he is looking forward to playing football again.
This drastic maneuver by Jets ownership could cause him to change his mind about those pursuits. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes the Rodgers connection will keep everyone safe so they can run it back in 2024 with basically the same group.
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Mounting Pressure Jets Could Clean House With Multiple Firings: Insider