It is no secret how much pressure is on the New York Jets to win in 2024. Regardless of the fact that they have not made the playoffs in 13 seasons, or the last time they actually won the AFC East was 2002.
The fact is that Joe Douglas has constructed a very talented, yet fragile team which is built to win now. Many of the guys currently employed by the Jets will not be back next season, either putting on a different uniform or hanging up their pads. All of that pressure will fall on the shoulders of their head coach, Robert Saleh.
And with all of that pressure on Saleh, it is no secret that his seat is piping hot before the season even begins. That’s why he was the first name on my list when I wrote the “ Top 9 Coaches on the Hot Seat entering 2024 ”.
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In the article I wrote:
Robert Saleh has had more lives than a cat since he took over the Jets back in 2021. He came in and together with GM Joe Douglas, chose his quarterback of the future with the second overall pick in Zach Wilson. After failing to make Wilson look anything close to an NFL quarterback, Saleh was given a gift from the football gods when Aaron Rodgers signed with the Jets before the 2023 season. With a dozen year playoff drought on the line, the Jets saw one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation in Aaron Rodgers join the team to revamp the offense, tutor Zach Wilson and hopefully lead the Jets back to the playoffs. When Rodgers went down four plays into the season, Saleh was given another pass on missing the playoffs. That won’t be the case this year with so much on the line. It’s playoffs or unemployment for Saleh in January.
I’m not the only one who believes Saleh is at the end of his excuses. In early February Jets owner Woody Johnson, speaking to reporters at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas, put everyone in the organization on alert by saying he expected a big improvement in 2024.
Johnson said that Saleh and Douglas have "seen me about as mad as I can be with what was going on. We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly. So, I think they all got the message. This is it. This is the time to go. We've got to produce this year."
Asked about Johnson's comments, Saleh told reporters: "Woody provides a lot of good insight, he really does. Regardless of what the tone may or may not be, the important thing is the message, and he's delivered a lot of really thoughtful, good messages that have helped us progress, especially during this offseason. It'll help us during the season. So, his words are always welcome. He's the owner of the football team, and his frustrations are shared with everyone."
While Saleh is firmly on the hot seat, he has all the tools any halfway decent coach would need to cool down his rump at his disposal. On paper (yes, I’m sick of that too), the Jets should be one of the top teams in the AFC. I recently had them slated to win 11 games in our AFC East prediction , which won’t have them winning this division according to my Bills and Dolphins counterparts, but it will be enough to get them in the playoffs.
If things do go wrong for the Jets, it will be Saleh who gets the blame, and honestly, deservedly so. He has had years to put together an offense that can at least take some of the pressure off the stellar defense. That should not rely solely on Aaron Rodgers remaining healthy and being available to run the show.
The Jets have been a losing franchise for 13 seasons, and the fans are going to blame someone if it becomes 14. There’s nowhere left for Saleh to hide if things go wrong in 2024.
Related: Three players the Jets need to immediately lock up for the foreseeable future
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