Jets fans have likely been in a glass case of emotion between New York’s Thursday Night Football loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the remainder of Week 16 results. Gang Green’s hopes of reaching the playoffs went from being “far-fetched” to mostly controlling their own destiny.
It’s amazing how quickly things can change, right?
We know there’s a lot riding on the Jets’ quarterback situation in the near future. But what about the coaching staff? More specifically, the respective futures of head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur could be on the line depending on how New York performs down the stretch.
According to a report from Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post, Jets owner Woody Johnson is contemplating potential changes. Here’s what a “high-ranking official” had to say about the situation:
This is killing [owner Woody Johnson] trust me, I know him well … All of that booing is driving him crazy. He already wasn’t really sold on this coach. He’s going to want [offensive coordinator Mike] LaFleur out and some changes to that staff. He can’t help himself. Weren’t they 6-3 at the bye? And now they’re getting booed out of their own stadium at Christmas. I’m telling you, something is going to happen there.
It’s easy to feel emotional at the moment. Going from a 6-3 record to a 7-8 mark with two games to go hasn’t been fun by any stretch of the imagination. The Jets have certainly taken a step forward in Saleh’s second year leading the way, though. They’ve gone from 2-14 in Adam Gase’s final year as head coach in 2020, to 4-13 under Saleh in 2021, to their current record.
Winning out would obviously give them a legitimate chance at making the playoffs for the first time since 2010. It’d also give New York its first winning record since 2015. One would have to imagine that making changes to the coaching staff would be hard if the Jets can deliver. Especially when it seems like this roster is just a quarterback away from being a serious playoff contender.
But who knows, right? We’ll see how the remainder of this season plays out. This report makes it seem like Johnson would want to make changes regardless of what happens. That may change depending on how well — or, not well — the Jets finish.
Being an NFL coach, whether we’re talking about a head coach or a coordinator, inherently comes with pressure. That goes up when a team with playoff aspirations encounters a second-half tailspin, especially in New York.
As if there wasn’t enough pressure on the Jets to win out, this may add to it for Saleh, LaFleur, and Co.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
