New York Jets Blasted by Former NFL GM for Current State of Team, Firing Robert Saleh

A former NFL general manager had some strong words about the New York Jets' decision to fire Robert Saleh and the state of the team.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets coach Robert Saleh reacts against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets shocked the football world when it was announced earlier this week that head coach Robert Saleh had been fired.

The team had lost two games in a row, in rather embarrassing fashion, to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. Those losses followed up back-to-back victories and solid outings by the team after a brutal Week 1.

By all accounts, this was a move that no one saw coming. There were no rumors of his job being on the line despite some truly abysmal records and numbers during his 3+ seasons with the franchise.

Ultimately, where Saleh failed was being unable to create a successful offensive game plan. Zach Wilson was a disaster at quarterback as the main reason people will point to, but there were issues beyond just him.

This year, they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers and things still aren’t running smoothly. The running game has been a mess and chemistry is lacking with his receivers.

As former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi detailed during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, something has to change on that side of the ball.

"The Jets need to expand their offense and they need to be more creative..

They've gotta have somebody in that building that's gonna say this is how we're gonna fix our run game,” Lombardi said.

Saleh certainly deserves scrutiny for the job he did. The team went 20-36 under his watch, suffering as many double-digit losses as he had victories.

The bottom line, he was not getting the job done.

But, as Lombardi also detailed during his McAfee Show appearance, the decision to fire Saleh speaks to shortcomings with the franchise. He cited a lack of organizational awareness and owner Woody Johnson’s inability to build things the right way, as head coach was far from their biggest issue.

"Woody Johnson has yet to build an organization the right way..

This isn't about Robert Saleh this is about the Jets organization..

There's bigger problems than the Head Coach"@mlombardiNFL #PMSLive https://t.co/6rqprfosO5 pic.twitter.com/b8VEjsaHIt

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 10, 2024

On a graphic shared during the show, since taking over the team in 2000, Johnson has overseen a team with a .434 winning percentage, which is 26th in the league, with only one division title and six playoff wins, which is tied for the 10th fewest.

Their points per game of 19.3 and passing yards of 197 are both 31st in the league.

It is easy to pin the team’s recent struggles on the head coach, and in some regard, it was certainly warranted. But things won’t improve with the franchise until ownership can start figuring things out.