Bold Jets Prediction Sees Robert Saleh Abruptly Fired, Replaced

Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of an NFL game.

The NFL head coaching cycle has come to an end in 2024, or has it?

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz boldly predicted in a column posted on Friday, February 23 that the New York Jets will fire head coach Robert Saleh and replace him with Mike Vrabel.

“The musical chairs stopped without a place for former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, whose firing was a bit of a surprise. There are too many good head-coaching candidates on the market and too many last-chance coaches heading into the 2024 season. Why not just make the change now? The Jets could jettison a coach with an 18-33 career record in exchange for a coach who has already had success,” Schatz explained. “Vrabel had winning records in four of his six seasons in Tennessee, including leading the Titans to the No. 1 seed in 2021 despite a myriad of injuries.”

Pros and Cons of a Saleh-Vrabel Swapping at Jets Head Coach

The likelihood of this bold prediction coming to fruition this offseason isn’t high.

However, it’s a compelling argument considering Saleh’s struggles and the allure of a former Coach of the Year still being available.

One of the good things that Saleh has brought since coming to the Jets is great defense. That was one of the big reasons the green and white decided to pluck him from the San Francisco 49ers coaching tree.

“Losing Saleh would mean losing his defensive scheme, and that might hurt the Jets’ defense that has been top six in DVOA for two straight seasons,” Schatz admitted.

Although Schatz argued that the benefits of Vrabel outweigh what you’d lose by ditching Saleh.

“Vrabel should help both locker room management and game management. Vrabel might do a better job of managing Aaron Rodgers, and he’s a much more analytically sound coach in games,” Schatz revealed. “In the past two seasons, Vrabel ranked sixth and ninth in aggressiveness index (reflecting how often he went for fourth downs), while Saleh ranked 21st in 2023 and dead last two years ago.”

What the Jets Plan Should Be for Aaron Rodgers in 2024

There is a belief in the Jets building that the return of a healthy Aaron Rodgers will fix a lot of issues heading into 2024.

That isn’t necessarily a wrong thought to have. Zach Wilson and the other backups that suited up in 2023 were among the worst in the league. The jump from that level to Rodgers is going to be seismic.

That change alone should make a world of difference, but it can’t be the only thing.

“Well I think it’s funny everybody looks at Rodgers coming back & they go, this is the key to the turnaround. While I agree with that, I think the big key is how do you protect him this year,” Connor Rogers of NBC Sports told Ethan Greenberg. “You need to develop this power run game that can also develop the play-action pass. You build a better offensive line. You have Breece Hall in the backfield, you can turn around & hand Breece the ball 20+ times a game & we know the magic he can create.”