Getty Image / Mike Stobe
For a while, it was a promising season for the New York Jets. The team started 5-2, and was 7-4 with just six games remaining, in prime position for a playoff spot.
But, it’s the Jets. Things seemingly never go well, and they didn’t turn out well this season, either. The team lost its last six games in humiliating fashion and missed the playoffs for the twelfth straight season.
A lot of that had to do with the offense, mainly second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. There wasn’t a ton of heat on him early in the season, actually, as the Jets were winning and he was managing games. He played great in a 20-17 win over the Bills in early November, a win that should have gone a long way toward making the playoffs. But, he struggled mightily after that, and lost the locker room with misguided actions and comments . It now seems like he and the team could be headed for a divorce less than 24 months after the Jets bet the franchise on him by taking him 2nd overall.
A lot of that could fall at the feet of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. LaFleur is given free reign to run the offense as he sees fit by Jets head coach Robert Saleh. So, there’s heat on him for leading the league’s 29th-best scoring offense that was putrid at the end of the year.
And, apparently, ownership has taken notice.
"I hear the owner wants LaFleur gone and Saleh is digging in the trenches. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I heard the owner wants to get rid of the entire offensive staff." – Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi on the GM Shuffle Podcast.
— Dan Leberfeld (@jetswhispers) January 11, 2023
Owner Woody Johnson is an involved owner. It’s obviously not working, because the Jets are a bad franchise. The interesting thing is the pushback by Saleh. You can’t put it past Johnson to fire them both now.
Time will tell who will lead the Jets offense next year.