This probably won’t be New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s favorite birthday.
On Wednesday, January 31 The Athletic released a massive report including 30 team sources detailing the Jets’ failed 2023 season.
According to Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt, “Things went sideways for Saleh after the report about [Zach] Wilson’s reluctance to return to the lineup.”
“That [report] sent Saleh into a tailspin. The coach held a meeting with his staff two days later where he asked the leaker to reveal himself, according to multiple people in attendance. ‘If you come forward now, you won’t get in trouble,’ he told them while threatening to take their cell phones,” The Athletic revealed. “Staffers were bemused by Saleh’s obsession with the Wilson story and his reaction to it.”
Saleh turned 45 years of age on January 31, 2024.
Scathing Details Revealed Excuse Making and an Overwhelmed OC
After Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles, The Athletic said there was a shift in mentality for the Jets, “The goal was no longer the playoffs. It was survival.”
The green and white handed the keys of the franchise back to Wilson at quarterback. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett “struggled to adjust the offense to the team’s new reality”, per The Athletic.
“Multiple coaches and players described Hackett as lacking in attention to detail. For most of the season, Hackett would meet with offensive line coach/running game coordinator Keith Carter and passing game coordinator Todd Downing during the week but wouldn’t get together with the rest of the offensive staff until the ‘last minute’ of game prep,” Russini and Rosenblatt explained. “During games, Hackett struggled to make adjustments. Against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, Carter asked Hackett to give left tackle Duane Brown more help blocking Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons, according to multiple team sources. But Hackett never adjusted, and Parsons dominated (two sacks, four QB hits) in a 30-10 loss.”
Things got so bad that this offseason Saleh “has explored adding to the offensive staff and creating a more collaborative play-calling process that would reduce Hackett’s role, a clear indication the team has lost confidence in his ability to run the offense on his own,” The Athletic continued. “Rodgers has been involved in those discussions.”
The problem with that is Hackett is remaining as the team’s OC in 2024. Gang Green is taking a half measure by only considering adding another cook to the kitchen instead of replacing him outright.
If they don’t believe he is the right man for the job, the Jets should rip the band-aid off. However, it seems like instead, the team will opt to add more coaches to the room to mitigate Hackett’s impact.
Jets Believe Rodgers Will Be Able to Cure All
The Jets have legitimate issues on the offensive line, wide receiver, and backup quarterback.
Although the team believes the overall solution to the Jets’ problems will be the return of Rodgers, according to The Athletic.
“It’s a risky proposition since he’s 40 and coming off an Achilles injury. But Rodgers welcomes doubters — it motivates him,” Russini and Rosenblatt explained. “In the locker room, there was often a scooter propped up against Rodgers’ locker, which he’d sometimes use around the facility for his surgically repaired Achilles. On the back, there’s a fake New Jersey license plate with two words: WATCH ME.”
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Robert Saleh ‘Threatened’ Jets Coaches, Sent Into ‘Tailspin’: Report