The news of Robert Saleh’s firing spread through the New York Jets’ roster quickly, and almost entirely via social media and text messages from people outside of the team facility in Florham Park. Linebacker C.J. Mosley saw it on his phone while getting treatment on his injured toe. Punter Thomas Morstead found out via a text message from his neighbor.
The coaching staff was in the middle of preparing for their upcoming Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills when owner Woody Johnson informed Saleh he was being fired, a shocking development for the majority of the Jets’ organization.
At some point, the sense of surprise will settle into a new reality and the Jets will move forward with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich leading the way as interim head coach. Saleh wasn’t necessarily disliked by Jets players, but he wasn’t beloved by them in the same way they love Ulbrich, who has gained a lot of respect in the building not only for his personality, honesty and humanity, but for his football acumen and background as a 10-year NFL linebacker.
Coach Jeff Ulbrich’s message he delivered to the team: pic.twitter.com/EScGBVbyLx
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2024
“I’ve seen him coach and I know the relationship he has with the players, and they respect him, they trust him,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen it at halftime, and I’ve seen it in practice. When he talks, they listen to him in a way that probably represents the fact that he did play the sport at linebacker for 10 years, which is pretty unique, so he brings that knowledge and the respect, and the knowledge to the game in a way that I think that will be very good for the players going forward.”
Will that be enough to rally the 2-3 Jets and turn the season around before it’s too late? Maybe. After all, if the Jets can beat the Bills on Monday night, they’ll be first-place in the AFC East. But the bigger question is how Ulbrich will go about solving the team’s issues on offense, which never progressed under Saleh’s watch. If the offense doesn’t play better than it did in losses to the Broncos and Vikings the last two weeks, the coaching change won’t amount to much.
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Ulbrich has some important decisions to make in the coming days and weeks that will impact how the Jets bounce back from a disappointing start to the season — a start that might not look as bad if kicker Greg Zuerlein could’ve made a 50-yard field goal late against the Broncos, or if Rodgers hadn’t thrown a brutal pick-six early against the Vikings. But here they are, with a new head coach just six weeks into the season, and possibly a whole lot of other notable changes coming.
Here is a to-do list for Ulbrich as he transitions into his new role:
1. Determine Nathaniel Hackett’s fate
The offensive coordinator doesn’t have a lot of fans right now — among fans, players and even some on the coaching staff. The Jets have been criticized for having one of the most boring, predictable and uninventive offenses in the NFL since Hackett took over last year and it hasn’t gotten much better since Rodgers came back this season after his Achilles injury.
Hackett has struggled to adjust both in games and week-to-week. Prior to his firing, Saleh was planning to demote him and elevate passing game coordinator Todd Downing to play-caller. Ulbrich will likely do the same — though he was noncommittal when asked about it on Tuesday.
“We’re going to … look at every possibility,” Ulbrich said. “But I do not see changes in necessarily titles in positions as far as responsibilities and the process itself. But we’re going to take a hard look at that.”
There’s a conspiracy theory out there that Saleh was fired because of his plan to demote Hackett, who is a close friend of Rodgers. Rodgers vehemently denied that on Wednesday, as did various team sources familiar with the situation.
“I resent any of those accusations because they’re patently false,” Rodgers said on his “Pat McAfee Show” appearance. “It’s interesting the amount of power people think I have, which I don’t. But I love Robert.”
If Ulbrich demotes Hackett and promotes Downing, Rodgers won’t stand in his way, even though Rodgers said at his introductory press conference last year that Hackett was one of the main reasons he wanted to join the Jets.
Downing has a good relationship with Rodgers, according to team sources, though he has an up-and-down history when it comes to play-calling. Downing was the offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders in 2017 and the Tennessee Titans in the ’21 and ’22 seasons. In those years, Downing-led offenses ranked 23rd, 15th and 28th, respectively.
There’s also a question of whether this change now is too little, too late. To Saleh’s credit, he did try to bring in another offensive voice this offseason, pursuing former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith to join the offensive staff, but Smith declined the overture and instead accepted a position as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. Hackett would’ve maintained his position as offensive coordinator but likely would have had his role reduced.
Instead, Hackett returned in the same role and the offense continued to stagnate to start this season in the same way it did when Zach Wilson (and others) was at quarterback last year. Perhaps Downing, if promoted, will offer some level of improvement — but this ultimately is Rodgers’ offense and there won’t be a full schematic facelift.
NFL Network reported recently that the Jets’ process for play-calling involved Hackett giving Rodgers three playcalls to choose from on each play, with Rodgers making the final decision. That’s not necessarily unusual for players of Rodgers’ experience and pedigree, but it wasn’t working.
Can Ulbrich and Downing fix that formula? The season might depend on it.
2. Decide on a defensive play-caller
Saleh was successful as a play-caller with the San Francisco 49ers, but when he became Jets’ head coach he handed over the keys to his coordinators on offense, defense and special teams. On offense it was to his detriment. On defense (and special teams) it was a rousing success. Ulbrich has become one of the NFL’s best defensive coordinators. His responsibilities are different now that he’s the head coach, though.
Will he keep calling plays while overseeing the whole operation? That’s a heavy lift for any coach, especially one making the transition in-season after being thrown into a role (head coach) he’s never held outside of the Senior Bowl before.
“I’m going to take a hard look at that,” Ulbrich said on Tuesday. “Can I manage a game day as a head coach and call the plays on defense? Everything is on the table right now, it is.”
If Ulbrich does cede play-calling — or at least some aspects of it — there is at least one obvious candidate to fill in: safeties coach Marquand Manuel, a natural leader and the only other coach on staff with defensive coordinator experience (with the Falcons, 2017-18). Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and defensive backs coach Tony Oden both have done stellar jobs in their roles but don’t have experience as coordinators.
3. Incorporate Davante Adams if/when the Jets get him
Even after the Jets fired their head coach, they remain contenders — if not the favorites — to acquire the star Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver. The Raiders have been holding firm about the team acquiring Adams to give up both a second-round pick and take on the entirety of Adams’ salary in 2024. If both of those things hold true, don’t expect the Jets to engage. But if the Raiders come down from that asking price, the Jets will be in the driver’s seat — possibly as soon as this week.
As for if/when Adams arrives in Florham Park, there will be a few matters for Ulbrich to attend to. First, determining Adams’ availability in the coming weeks. He’s currently out with a hamstring injury that isn’t considered long-term but has kept him out of the Raiders’ games last week and for this coming Sunday. If he’s healthy enough to play, he’ll plug right in as a starter opposite Garrett Wilson.
But it wouldn’t be unfair to point out that the Jets struggled to get Wilson involved on offense until Rodgers force-fed him 22 targets last week. There is little evidence that Hackett (if he remains the play-caller) has the ability to scheme up enough looks for both Adams — one of Rodgers’ best friends and his favorite target when they played together in Green Bay — and Wilson, not to mention Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, tight end Tyler Conklin, and running back Breece Hall.
Yes, Hackett was an offensive coordinator in Green Bay in 2019-21 when Adams and Rodgers were playing together, but Hackett wasn’t calling plays then, that was head coach Matt LaFleur. And Wilson was (understandably) frustrated already with his role through the first four games; that role would only decrease if Adams was in the fold.
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4. Get Rodgers back on track — and hold him accountable when necessary
Rodgers put together one of the worst performances of his career last week, the first time he ever has thrown two interceptions in the first quarter. He threw another to end the game in the fourth. It would be fair to say he was the primary reason the Jets lost that game, even if other players — particularly the offensive line and Lazard — didn’t exactly help matters. Rodgers wasn’t great against the Broncos the week before either.
Ulbrich and Downing (if he’s the new play-caller) need to figure out some things as it relates to getting Rodgers on track, and the two biggest ones are related: the offensive line and the running game. After looking like a strength through three games, the offensive line regressed over the last two games, allowing Rodgers to be hit 25 times and sacked eight times. Rookie Olu Fashanu has struggled filling in for Morgan Moses at right tackle, understandable since these are his first meaningful snaps at the position since at least high school. Left tackle Tyon Smith has already allowed three sacks in five games after not allowing three in an entire season since 2017.
The run blocking has been even worse. The Jets rank last in yards before contact per rush, per TruMedia, which is a measure that helps to show how much penetration the defense is getting in the backfield after the running back touches the ball. Hall hasn’t looked like himself in recent weeks either — he’s averaging 2.3 yards per carry over the last three games.
But the lack of a passing threat, especially downfield, hasn’t helped matters. Rodgers has been hesitant to throw deep passes. He’s shown some flashes of mobility, but less so after suffering a low ankle sprain against the Vikings. It’s unclear how much that will impact him going forward, but he is 40-years-old; it’s not as easy for him to recover as it used to be.
5. Lineup and personnel on offense
Lazard and Rodgers have a connection dating back to their time together in Green Bay. Lazard was one of the least productive starting receivers in the NFL last season without Rodgers. He’s shown some flashes of his old production this year — four touchdowns in five games — but mixes in too many gaffes. He currently leads the NFL in drops, after leading all receivers in drop percentage in 2023. He helps as a run blocker, but it might be time for Ulbrich to consider giving some of Lazard’s work to Williams, who has shown signs of returning to form as a deep threat.
The Jets made third-round rookie Malachi Corley a healthy scratch last week. He was drafted with an eye toward using him as a gadget player, and yet he only has one touch in four games. Corley didn’t have a great summer but it’s at least worth seeing if he has anything more to offer than Xavier Gipson, who has been a nonfactor on offense.
The Jets also might want to consider playing third-string tight end Brenden Bates less. The undrafted rookie was claimed off waivers following training camp largely because of his perceived ability as a blocker. Bates played 10 snaps last week and whiffed on blocks on practically all of them. Kenny Yeboah is eligible to come of injured reserve and the Jets might want to use him instead of the rookie whenever he’s healthy enough to play.
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On Tuesday, Johnson made his pitch to get Reddick to end his unprecedented holdout, which Johnson said is “something I’ve never seen before.”
“Haason get in your car, drive down I-95 and come to the New York Jets. We can meet you and give you an escort right in the building and you will fit right in,” Johnson said. “You’re going to love it here.”
Unless Saleh was the real reason Reddick has been holding out since OTAs, Johnson’s pitch likely won’t be enough to bring him back. The defensive end wants a significant raise on his salary — one that he’s already sacrificed nearly $10 million of through skipping five weeks, training camp and the offseason program — and the Jets have remained steadfast that they won’t give him anything until he reports.
It remains unlikely Reddick ever plays for the Jets, but there hadn’t been much communication between Reddick in the staff in recent weeks. Maybe Ulbrich can appeal to Reddick’s common sense, that this holdout is only hurting his chances of getting the money he’s looking for, not helping it.
Will McDonald has been a revelation through five games, with six sacks, but he needs help. Micheal Clemons, Takk McKinley, Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor won’t cut it if the Jets fancy themselves playoff contenders. Reddick, fourth in the NFL in sacks from 2020-23, would be a significant upgrade. If Ulbrich can convince Reddick to end his holdout, it would be an impressive feat.
(Top photo: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images)
