An ESPN NFL analyst didn’t mince words when describing the unrest surrounding the New York Jets, saying the franchise is currently “in hell.”
The 2-3 Jets surprisingly fired Robert Saleh as head coach five games into the season, replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Saleh was hired as the Jets’ head coach in 2021. During his tenure, Saleh went 20-36 as he had to rotate through six starting quarterbacks. Things were supposed to be different under Aaron Rodgers, but the four-time MVP suffered a torn Achilles in the first game of 2023, and the offense has fallen flat so far this season.
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Woody Johnson, who has owned the Jets for a quarter-century, said it was his decision to move on from Saleh.
“This is probably the best team I’ve had in 25 years,” Johnson told reporters, via ESPN.com. “I just felt that the best way to go forward was a new direction. Taking Jeff Ulbrich and making him the interim head coach, I thought that would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance that we all want to have, which is going to the playoffs.”
Johnson continued, “I’ve had a couple years to think about this, and, yeah, I just think we can do better. The team can do better as we have this new leadership.”
NFL analyst says Woody Johnson one of worst owners in football
The owner’s words, though, rang hollow to ESPN NFL analyst and former Jets player Damien Woody. During Wednesday’s “Get Up,” Woody pointed the finger at Johnson for the latest mess the Jets are in.
“This has been one of the worst organizations in the National Football League. There’s no sugar-coating it or anything like that,” said Woody. “I’ve always said, you can’t win consistently in the NFL if you don’t have two things: if you don’t have great ownership, and if you don’t have great coaching. If you look at the Jets over his tenure as the owner, they haven’t had those things.”
Woody said Saleh was essentially “neutered” when the Jets brought Rodgers and his former offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers, Nathaniel Hackett.
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It was a controversial move at the time as Hackett was recently fired after spending less than one season as the Denver Broncos’ head coach. He went 4-11 with Denver.
“When you bring in Aaron Rodgers, he swore up and down I need my boy Nate Hackett in here. What the hell did Nate Hackett do in Denver that one year with Russell Wilson? He got his behind fired in year one because we all saw how terrible of a coach that he was,” Woody exclaimed. “And then, for some reason, the Jets thought it was a great idea, hey, with Aaron Rodgers, let’s bring in Nate Hackett. Well, what in the hell did Nate Hackett show that he deserved to be the offensive play caller for the New York Jets?”
The Jets finished 29th in offense in 2023, and it’s not much better to begin 2024, as they currently rank 27th. New York is averaging just 18.6 points and 286.6 yards per game. That wasn’t supposed to happen with Rodgers under center.
Woody concluded his rant bluntly, saying the Jets are “in hell.”
“And so when you make a deal with the devil, you live in hell. And that’s right now where the Jets are, in hell,” noted Woody.
The Jets are 2.5-point home underdogs against the Buffalo Bills next Monday night.
Related: ESPN host claims Aaron Rodgers ‘undercut’ Robert Saleh as New York Jets fire head coach