What’s Gone Wrong with the New York Jets?

Just before the start of the 2023 NFL season, the New York Jets were the talk of the league. Fans were hopeful, as the team seemed to have the quarterback position truly figured out for the first time in years.

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers had demanded a trade from the Green Bay Packers, announcing on live TV that he wanted out of the only city he’d ever played in. Reports soon came out that Rodgers wanted to play for the Jets.

Unfortunately, the Aaron Rodgers project got off to the worst start possible when he fell to the ground only four plays into his first season in New York. The slow-motion replays revealed what would become official the next day when Rodgers was diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The Jets struggled mightily in 2023, putting up a 7-10 record. By the time the 2024 season rolled around, Rodgers was medically cleared to return to action, and the sense of hope that was so prevalent in 2023 was back.

However, things haven’t started the way the team, its fans, or ownership had hoped, which is why the Jets shocked the sports world last week when they announced that Robert Saleh was relieved of his duties as head coach.

Find out more about what’s gone wrong with the Jets and what the rest of this season seems to hold.

The Firing of Robert Saleh

Robert Saleh was named the head coach of the New York Jets on January 24, 2021, after a wildly successful tenure as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Saleh had been one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel for multiple seasons before making the leap to head coaching.

Before the 2021 season, expectations were low in New York. Saleh led the team to a 4-13 record which put them last in the AFC East. There was no panic, as it was clear that the team had a lot of work to do. Optimism abounded following the 2022 season after Saleh led the Jets to a 7-10 record.

While that was still only enough to lead them to fourth in the division, a three-win increase was enough to buy Saleh some good will heading into his third season.

His third season with the Jets saw the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, and expectations were higher than they had ever been for Saleh. Of course, that changed on the Jets’ fourth play from scrimmage against the Bills in week one when the 39-year-old quarterback fell to the ground with an Achilles injury.

While it was a blow to a team that had Super Bowl aspirations, the injury to Rodgers essentially meant that Saleh and the Jets were not expected to do much. Another season ended with the Jets sitting at 7-10, good for third in their division.

Fast forward to 2024. Aaron Rodgers was healthy to start the season, the Jets’ defense, which had been the lone bright spot in 2023 was expected to get even better, and the team had young playmakers on offense.

Week one saw the team fall to the San Francisco 49ers 32-19 on Monday Night Football. While the 49ers are perennial Super Bowl contenders, the fact that they were missing some of their best players made the loss even more worrisome.

Things seemed to turn around in New York, though, as the team won back-to-back games against the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots.

Then, week four happened. Playing host to the Denver Broncos, a team with a rookie QB and a host of problems of its own, the Jets failed to score a single touchdown and lost 10-9. After the game, when discussing pre-snap penalties that plagued the offense, Coach Saleh seemed to put some of the blame on Rodgers’ cadence.

When asked about it, Rodgers dismissed the statement from Saleh and pointed to the need for coaches to hold some players accountable.

The writing was on the wall, and after an embarrassing showing against the Minnesota Vikings in London, England, Robert Saleh was fired. The Vikings, who were undefeated, beat the Jets by six, but the team looked out of sync throughout and owner, Woody Johnson, reportedly made the decision on his own to fire Saleh five games into his fourth season.

It’s not unheard of for NFL coaches to lose their jobs during the season, but unlike some other leagues, NFL teams rarely fire coaches so early. The Jets’ decision to move on from Saleh after a 2-3 start is just the latest example of the team doing things their own way.

Who is Jeff Ulbrich?

Defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich was named the interim head coach following the firing of Robert Saleh, in a move that surprised some. Many people expected Nathaniel Hackett, the team’s offensive coordinator, to get the title since he has such a good relationship with Rodgers.

However, Hackett was statistically one of the worst head coaches in history during his brief stint with the Denver Broncos.

Instead, the Jets turned to Ulbrich, who worked closely with Saleh on the Jets’ defense. Ulbrich, who has been coaching since 2010, has been the team’s defensive coordinator since 2021. He spent nine seasons playing for the 49ers, who drafted the linebacker in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

Shockingly, Ulbrich’s first decision was to demote Nathaniel Hackett from his play-calling position, leaving many to wonder what the relationship between the interim head coach and the franchise QB will look like for the rest of the season.

Can the Jets turn it around and make a playoff push? That remains to be seen.