Jets’ Robert Saleh Reacts to ‘Hottest Head Coach in NFL’ Ranking

A win is a win, right?

New York Jets‘ fourth-year head coach Robert Saleh earned the No. 1 spot in a recent ranking of all 32 NFL bench bosses on a scale of “sexiness.”

Developing a methodology that features the Beauty Scanner app, FreeBets.com ranked Saleh as the “hottest head coach in the NFL.” The 45-year-old Saleh accounted for an 8.01 beauty score (on a 10-point scale), edging out his former boss —San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan (7.85)— for the top spot. Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay (7.75) posted the third-highest score.

The app responsible for the rankings “analyzes a face against the Golden Ratio.” It determined that Saleh looks four years younger than his actual age.

When questioned by a reporter about the rankings, Saleh deferred to his significant other for an answer.

“No, you can ask my wife. No, I’m just kidding,” said Saleh during an OTAs press conference in Florham Park.

Saleh and his wife are parents of seven children together, but despite the stresses of fatherhood coupled with his football responsibilities, he has defied the aging process. Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Matt LaFleur, who leads the Green Bay Packers, did not crack the Top 10. Saleh and LaFleur both have roots in the state of Michigan.

“Matt was bitter,” said Saleh jokingly.

After four seasons as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Saleh landed the Jets’ head coaching job in 2021. After back-to-back 7-10 seasons, critics are turning up the heat on Saleh.

In last week’s USA Today head coach rankings, Saleh sat at No. 28 overall in terms of ability and performance. The Jets have thrived defensively during Saleh’s tenure, finishing third overall in total defense last year, but the offense has been stuck near the bottom of the NFL.

The hope is for a healthy Aaron Rodgers to breathe life into New York’s offense. The four-time NFL MVP logged only four offensive snaps in 2023 before suffering a season-ending Achilles’ injury.

“If I don’t do what I know I’m capable of doing, we’re all probably gonna be out of here,” said Rodgers at the start of OTAs Phase 3.

Meanwhile, Saleh will take a more hands-on approach coaching the offense after building a relationship with his future Hall-of-Fame quarterback.

“First time I had been a part of an offense where the quarterback had such a voice, so a lot of it was me absorbing, and along with everyone else, and learning this new system. It’s year two, it’s this natural evolution of, got a really good grasp of the offense, and so just trying to provide some insight from a defensive perspective,” said Saleh.