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The New York Jets became the first team in the NFL to fire their head coach this season as Robert Saleh was given the boot after just five games.
As anyone with eyes will tell you, however, the real issue with the Jets is their offense, which is overseen by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who is essentially a DEI hire as Rodgers’ emotional support pal.
After a disastrous stint as head coach of the Broncos in 2022 which saw him fired before the season even ended, Hackett was hired by the Jets to coax Rodgers to New York, which worked. That, however, seems to be the only part of their Aaron Rodgers plan that has worked since then.
Hackett’s offensive coordination is so poor, in fact, that Rodgers is putting up the worst numbers of his career so far this season, while the Jets offense, as a whole, is statistically no better off than it was under Zach Wilson, one of the biggest QB draft busts in recent memory.
“Rodgers has just 1,093 passing yards, 6.0 yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 81.6 — all the worst through the first five games of his career.”
“The Jets are 2-3 and have scored 93 points, the same point total from a season ago. New York is averaging 18.6 points per game and 1.73 points per possession, good for 25th and 19th in the NFL, respectively. The points per possession number is still better than it was a year ago, when the Jets were at 1.13 points per possession (31st in NFL).” [via CBS Sports]
With Saleh serving as the scapegoat for the Jets’ poor start to the 2024 season, the pressure to perform now rests squarely on the shoulders of Hackett and Rodgers, who have officially run out of excuses.
The Jets, now playing under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, will look to notch their third win of the season and improve to .500 when they host the Buffalo Bills on Monday, October 14. Surprisingly, despite their poor start to the season, the Jets will be in first place in the AFC East if they win that game.