The New York Jets, in a season that began with Super Bowl expectations, started the 2024 season with a 2-3 record after five games. They’d go 3-9 the rest of the way to finish with a 5-12 record. So, what changed? If you ask the Jets, they’ll tell you the firing of head coach Robert Saleh is what derailed the season.
Speaking to longtime New York Jets beat reporter Rich Cimini for a piece wrapping up their disatrous 2024 season, multiple members of Gang Green pointed to the dismissal of Robert Saleh following a Week 5 loss to the Vikings in London as the turning point in their season.
That decision, and the subsequent move of firing general manager Joe Douglas, were both made by maligned 77-year-old owner Woody Johnson, who is currently overseeing the longest playoff drought across the four major American sports leagues at 14 years and counting.
“It’s just hard for a team to win when you know your coach and GM are getting fired midway through the season. It’s just a lot of stuff up in the air,” running back Breece Hall told ESPN.
“It impacted the team because it caused a distraction,” cornerback DJ Reed concurred.
In addition to the mental impact it had on the rest of the team, Jets players also believe that the firing put too much on the plate of interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, who had never been a head coach in the NFL before.
“It put a lot more on Brick’s plate. It put more on everyone’s plate — the coaches, the staff in general. So did that have an effect? I don’t know for sure. You think maybe that was the reason why. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know, but you can’t help but wonder,” cornerback Isaiah Oliver mused.The Jets now head into the offseason in need of another rebuild as they’re not only in the market for a new head coach and general manager, but likely a quarterback, too, as they’re expected to part ways with Aaron Rodgers.
