Two weeks and five days ago, the Jets moved to 2-1. The offense looked sharp and effective. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked healthy and spry.
Two games later, the Jets are 2-3 and owner Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh.
The timing makes no sense, especially with a Monday night visit coming from the 3-2 Bills. Win that game, and things are back on track.
Win the next one at Pittsburgh, and the Jets are 4-3.
“I don’t know what the Jets ownership is thinking,” Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told PFT via text message. “You’re five games into the season and getting ready to play a game for first place in your division and you fire the coach. In 1999, my Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 2-3 and we went on to go to the NFC Championship game. I’m glad I didn’t get fired after Week 5 that year.”
There’s another factor that would have made patience even more of a virtue. The next two games are in prime time, on national television. Having an interim coach only highlights the fact that the organization remains mired in dysfunction.
One source with extensive coaching experience shared an interesting observation about the timing. The fact that it happened now suggests that Johnson seriously considered firing Saleh —- and almost did it — after the 2023 season. Now, with a couple of rough games and a sense that things were slipping away on the current campaign, Johnson did what he might have been telling himself he should have done before the season started.
If the Jets start winning, the nonsensical timing of the decision will make some sense. But who’s to say they wouldn’t have started winning if they hadn’t made the change?