The Jets head coach, Robert Saleh, was fired after a loss across the pond. Owner of the Jets, Woody Johnson, personally made the decision that shocked many, to let Saleh go after starting the season 2-3. With the 17-23 loss to the Vikings, with London watching, Johnson sensed that the organization needed a change of pace from their fourth season head coach. “I wanted to give this team the most opportunity to win this season. I feel that we had to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that today.”(CBS News)
Robert Saleh came to the Jets from the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive coordinator, where he found success along with his long-time friend, 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers was not where his coaching career started, as he coached for Georgia, CMU, and Michigan State, before breaking into the NFL. Saleh and Shanahan shared great chemistry as they coached alongside each other in the past with the Texans as well. After the Texans defensive coordinator staff was fired, Saleh got the call from the Seahawks, where he coached the “legion of boom” for three years, and gained a superbowl ring. A super bowl ring is not all he gained, because while pride in winning was nice, the experience was better. He stated he learned that, “You can teach so much more when you’re in tune with yourself”(Robert Saleh, 49ers.com). After a brief stint with Jaguars, Saleh looked for other opportunities and that’s when the 49ers gave him the call. Needless to say, Robert Saleh’s experience landed him the head coaching job at the Jets.
With all his experience and achievement, what went wrong with the Jets? In his career, Robert Saleh was 20-36 with the Jets, so his departure might not be all that surprising on the surface. Problems began in the 2021 draft when the Jets, with the number 2 overall pick, took Zach Wilson, who turned out to be a bust for GM Douglass and Coach Saleh. As a defensive minded head coach, Saleh struggled to find an offensive coordinator that could fit their scheme. On top of that, the basket with all Saleh’s eggs was in the hands of an injured Aron Rodgers. In week one of the 2023 season 39 year old Rodgers suffered a season ending achilles injury leaving it up to an unprepared Zach Wilson. The pressure only rose from there for the Jets head coach who was now skating on thin ice.
From the coordinator hires and poor player choices, the Jets dug a hole that Robert Saleh could not fill.