The three hottest seats on the New York Jets

The New York Jets were considered the biggest winners of last offseason entering the fall campaign, but once prized acquisition Aaron Rodgers suffered his season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1, the organization's dysfunction reached new heights.

Instead of making changes, the Jets are running it back with their current regime in 2024, which could ultimately be their last opportunity to hold on to their jobs. With that in mind, here are three Jets on the hottest seats heading into the 2024 season.

Head coach Robert Saleh

It's now or never for Saleh to prove that he can lead the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and that he's capable of being a competent NFL head coach. 

Since being hired in 2021, Saleh's Jets have the fourth-worst record in the league (18-33) and have scored the fewest points among all NFL teams (874). Of course, the offense's struggles can't solely be pinned on the former 49ers defensive coordinator, though it's clear that there are issues with his coaching style.

By now, most have seen or heard about The Athletic's bombshell January report that included information from 30 sources detailing New York's dysfunction in 2023. In the article, Saleh was described as a "paranoid head coach" who was sent into "a tailspin" after a report surfaced that claimed QB Zach Wilson was "reluctant" to reclaim the starting job after being benched in Week 11. According to The Athletic, Saleh threatened to take his staffers' cell phones to uncover the leaker.

The NFL Players Association's annual team report cards, a poll of 1,706 players regarding their experience and working conditions, didn't portray Saleh favorably, either. Only 72% of Jets players believe Saleh is efficient with their time (ranking 28th among coaches) and they feel he is only somewhat willing to listen to the locker room (ranked 29th). 

Rodgers' injury bought Saleh another season in New York. If he doesn't produce results in 2024, owner Woody Johnson will regret retaining him rather than hiring one of the many prominent candidates from this offseason's coaching cycle. 

General manager Joe Douglas

For someone who has won most of the trades he's executed and who has drafted franchise cornerstones in Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, it's somewhat surprising Douglas hasn't been fired yet. Aside from overseeing an organization in disarray, the 47-year-old has yet to construct a playoff-caliber roster and the Jets are 27-56 since he came on board.

Although the 2024 NFL Draft will obviously be an important event for the Jets, Douglas' actions in free agency will be of greater significance this offseason. Douglas is no stranger to taking big swings on high-profile free agents to address his team's needs, but rarely have such moves worked out.

Douglas' most notable free-agent misses over the years include edge-rusher Carl Lawson (three-year, $45M contract for 23 games played) and WR Corey Davis (three-year, $37.5M contract for 22 games before retiring). 

There's no denying that Douglas must be aggressive in free agency, but it's imperative that he finally learns from his mistakes and avoids risking his and New York's futures on more injury-prone players, former Packers and "stars" who have passed their prime.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers

The four-time MVP will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, but his Hall of Fame legacy was built in Green Bay. The Jets have catered to Rodgers as if he had achieved his success with them, even before he arrived in the Big Apple – which has further complicated their problematic situation.

Now, the Jets will have to continue bolstering their roster to compensate for last offseason's disastrous moves while hoping their efforts won't go to waste. Unfortunately, another disappointing outcome could be a real possibility for New York.

Aside from the fact that Rodgers is 40 and coming off an Achilles tear, it's impossible to ignore that his performance significantly declined in his final season with the Packers. In 2022, Rodgers posted the lowest passer rating (91.1) and QBR (39.3) in his 15 seasons as a full-time starter. He also threw 12 interceptions, the second-most of his career. 

If New York doesn't qualify for the playoffs next season and Rodgers looks more like his 2022 self, his legacy will surely be viewed in a different light a year from now.