Will the Jets fire Robert Saleh? New York coach on hot seat after early season woes, Aaron Rodgers struggles | Sporting News Canada

The Jets went overseas to London in the hopes of handing the undefeated Vikings their first loss of the 2024 season. 

Instead, New York is coming back from across the pond with a 2-3 record and more questions than answers going forward. 

The Jets were unable to pull off a comeback against the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, falling 23-17 to Minnesota in the first NFL international game of the 2024 campaign. It was an ugly first half from New York, who was held without a point until the final drive of the second quarter. 

To make matters worse, QB Aaron Rodgers was banged up in the game. He left briefly, however he was able to return, albeit not at 100% health. He was seen limping for a majority of the second half, and is arguably the biggest question coming out of the Week 5 contest. 

Another major inquiry on the Jets side is the status of head coach Robert Saleh. The Jets have not found the success they were hoping for when they brought him in four years, and so far in 2024, it seems more of the same — even with a bonafide QB1 and a plethora of young studs on offense. 

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It leaves fans questioning whether or not Saleh will be fired. The Sporting News explores the conundrum. 

Will the Jets fire Robert Saleh?

The temperature on Saleh’s seat in New York is slowly rising with each loss, however, there have been no reports about potentially firing the head coach. 

The Jets are expected to be in the mix for a playoff spot, so it’s understandable why the early struggles in 2024 have resulted in rumblings from fans about a change at head coach. With that said, it’s uncommon for a team to fire a head coach this early in a campaign. If the losses continue to pile up, the more likely option is that New York makes a head coaching change in the back half of the season, or the Jets may just ride out the rest of 2024 with Saleh.

A large portion of the season hangs in the health of Rodgers. The veteran was injured during the London game against the Vikings, and if he goes down again, it’s hard to place any of the blame on Saleh. 

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Saleh is in his fourth season as head coach, and recent history does not bode well for him if he can’t get things back on track. His direct predecessor, Adam Gase, only got two seasons, and Todd Bowles lasted four years before getting fired. Even Rex Ryan, who made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons at the helm, was fired after four straight playoff absences. 

Robert Saleh record

The Jets have yet to post a winning record in the Saleh era.

The team posted an ugly 4-13 mark in Saleh’s first season in New York, failing to win consecutive games at any point during the campaign.

In 2022, the Jets got off to a much better start to the season. By Week 12, New York had compiled a record of 7-4, and were in an excellent position to get back to the postseason. However, the carousel at QB between Zach Wilson and Mike White eventually ran off the rails, as the Jets lost their last six games of the season, ending the year 7-10. 

Last year was supposed to be the season New York righted the ship, bringing in Aaron Rodgers as the answer to the QB problem. Jets fans know all too well how that went, as four plays into the 2023 season, Rodgers tore his Achilles and was lost for the year. The team lost three games in a row in September and went on a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season, resulting in a 7-10 record at the end of the year. 

*record as of Week 5 of 2024 NFL season

Robert Saleh contract

Saleh signed a five-year contract with the Jets in January 2021 to take over as head coach. The exact financial details of the deal are not known, however, it was reported that his salary was estimated to be around $5 million per year.

The New York head coach is in the fourth year of his contract.