Robert

Saleh

Saleh was spotted on the sidelines of Green Bay’s practice on Wednesday, prompting reporters to ask LaFLeur about the situation. He didn’t mention an official title for the former head coach of the New York Jets. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Saleh will help LaFleur on the offensive side of the ball by offering a defensive perspective. Saleh, in LaFleur’s own words, deserves some credit for LaFleur making it in the NFL. Saleh convinced Texans head coach Gary Kubiak to hire LaFleur all the way back in 2008. Per LaFleur, Saleh will be with the Packers through Thursday, so this may be a brief consulting gig. The former Jets boss may be able to land a defensive coordinator gig in the offseason if his stint in Green Bay goes off without a hitch.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take over as interim head coach. Apparently the Jets had seen enough after three lackluster seasons and a sputtering start to the 2024 campaign. Saleh has had a dicey relationship with Aaron Rodgers, including a couple well-documented sideline interactions that did not appear entirely friendly. Saleh’s defense was elite throughout his time with the Jets. Since the start of the 2021 season, Saleh’s Jets defense has allowed the sixth lowest offensive success rate and has been stellar against the pass over the past two seasons. Saleh had the misfortune of being tied to the success or failure of Zach Wilson, the team’s first round draft pick in 2022 who flamed out immediately. Rodgers’ Week 1 Achilles tear in 2023 was another blow for Saleh, who once again had to lean on Wilson. A defensive coordinator before landing the Jets top job, Saleh, 45, will likely be a popular coordinator prospect during the offseason. He ends his Jets tenure with a 20-32 record.

Saleh prefaced the assurance by saying he and Rodgers “are on the exact same page” and, “There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates.” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed Jr. validated Saleh’s statement, adding, “That’s our quarterback. If [Rodgers’ prior commitment] is important to him, it’s important to us. It’s really not a big deal.” Rodgers is skipping the team’s full mandatory minicamp, risking more than $100,000 in fines.

Johnson said it’s not playoffs or bust for Saleh in 2024, but a nine or 10-win season would put the Jets in playoff contention. Saleh and the Jets were dealt a rough hand in 2023 after losing Aaron Rodgers just a handful of plays into the season. A seven-win season with the likes of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian at the helm is rather impressive, but Johnson doesn’t appear to be among those impressed with his team’s efforts. Having Rodgers back and healthy should be enough to turn around the Jets’ fortunes next season, but they’ll still have to get through a challenging AFC East that saw two teams punch their tickets to the postseason last year.

It’s unknown whether or not Saleh had a chance to speak with GM/QB Aaron Rodgers about this decision, but this aligns with rumors from a few weeks ago when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported there is “no indication” the Jets will make changes with the team’s leadership. Given Rodgers’ relationship with Nathaniel Hackett, the Jets are all but a lock to retain him as offensive coordinator in 2024, and the defense was among the best in the league for much of the season. Given the unfortunate injury to Rodgers in Week 1 that completely derailed the Jets’ season, it isn’t surprising to see the staff get a mulligan for a disastrous 2023.

This means both general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh are safe for at least one more year, barring a surprise change of heart from Johnson. Rapoport added that even offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will return for the 2024 season. The Jets were dealt an unwinnable hand with Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury a few snaps into the season, though a better investment at backup quarterback could have helped mitigate the damage. Either way, this didn’t get to see their Rodgers experiment play out and will get their chance to do so in 2024. If the season isn’t a rebounding success, we expect Johnson to clean house and start fresh.

Saleh missed Week 16 but returned to the Jets facility on Wednesday along with a host of Jets players. Saleh will be preparing his team to go up against the Buccaneers in Week 17, which should put even more pressure on struggling rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Wilson showed some exciting ability as a rusher against the Jaguars but is still working through major inaccuracy issues.

Saleh came down with symptoms Wednesday morning and subsequently tested positive. Under the NFL’s new protocols he can return to coach on Sunday if he no longer has symptoms and tests negative. If Saleh is unable to return, tight ends coach Ron Middleton will serve as head coach against the Jaguars.

There are storms in the New York area. The new expected start time is 9 ET – 30 minutes after the original time. Part of the problem was that the black pellets underneath the turf were brought to the surface of the field by the rain. The maintenance crew fixed the issue, and conditions now appear to be playable.

The Jets lost Carl Lawson to a torn Achilles’ earlier this week and don’t have the depth to backfill the massive role he was going to play. New York finished 20th in sacks per game last year and Lawson, who was signed to a three-year, $45 million contract this offseason, was set to be a difference-maker in Robert Saleh’s revamped defense. Even if the Jets do manage to acquire someone via trade, it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to produce at the same level that Lawson was expected to. The New York defense projects to be beatable at all levels once again in 2021.