The New York Jets only had Aaron Rodgers for four plays in 2023. Apparently, that’s enough reason to retain head coach Robert Saleh and general manger Joe Douglas for another season.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post he is staying with Saleh and Douglas “to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” even though the Jets have missed the playoffs all three seasons under the pair’s leadership together.
“I think we’ve had some very positive moves,” said Johnson, whose 5-9 Jets were hosting Washington on Sunday. “The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”
Rodgers, 40, tore his Achilles tendon on the first series of the New York Jets’ Week 1 against Buffalo and had surgery on Sept. 14.
The Jets activated Rodgers on Wednesday so that he could practice with the team, but the four-time NFL MVP will not play for the remainder of the season and instead will return fully healthy for the 2024 season.
“Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback,” Johnson said. “We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier.”
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New York Jets’ offense has struggled under Robert Saleh
With Rodgers leading the way, the New York Jets were viewed among the top contenders in the AFC at the start of the season.
But after Rodgers went down and was lost for the season, the New York Jets struggled at the quarterback position with Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian and were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 15 loss to Miami.
Saleh, whose offenses have never ranked above 28th in the NFL in his three seasons, was criticized for showing unyielding support for Wilson during his press conferences, despite Wilson’s issues and a string of embarrassing offensive performances. Meanwhile, the Jets’ defense has performed at a high level, ranking seventh in the NFL heading into Week 16.
Saleh, who has a 16-32 record, has been on the coaching hot seat for much of the season and has had to answer questions about his job security.
But now it appears he and GM Joe Douglas, whose record is 25-55 since joining the Jets in 2019, have received an early holiday gift, thanks to the presence of Rodgers for at least one more season.