Jets HC Robert Saleh addresses job security amid whispers

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh insisted during a Monday news conference he's focused on this coming Sunday's home game against the 4-10 Washington Commanders amid rumors suggesting Jets owner Woody Johnson could fire Saleh next month. 

"Just coaching trying to beat Washington," Saleh said about possibly spending the next several weeks trying to save his job, as shared by Ben Krimmel of SNY. "...Two types of coaches. Those who have been fired and those who are about to get fired, my man. We coach in the moment. We coach to win a football game." 

The Jets fell to 5-9 via Sunday's 30-0 loss at the Miami Dolphins and now know they'll miss the playoffs for a 13th consecutive season. Following that blowout defeat, Jets players such as wide receiver Allen Lazard and cornerback D.J. Reed raised eyebrows with comments about New York being "out-efforted" and out-fought at Hard Rock Stadium. 

"Obviously, we didn’t coach it well enough," Saleh acknowledged. "We didn’t execute it well enough. And all the way across the board wasn’t good enough in all three phases." 

It's widely believed injured Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have at least some say on Saleh's future beyond Week 18, although it's also thought Johnson could go in a different direction if the Jets win just one of their last 10 games to finish at 5-12. Saleh holds a 16-32 record with the Jets going back to the 2021 season. 

"Obviously in my heart, I feel like we built a championship roster," Saleh said about a Jets team that lost Rodgers to a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the regular-season opener on Sept. 11. "But at the end of the day we still gotta find ways to win with guys that are on the football field and we’ve gotta be better as coaches, we’ve gotta be better as players." 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Monday afternoon that Rodgers "probably" won't force his way into the lineup against Washington now that the Jets have no chance to make the playoffs. New York has until Wednesday to activate Rodgers or leave him on injured reserve through Week 18. 

"Woody’s been great," Saleh added, according to the Jets' website. "I talk to him every day, and we’re always talking game plan, and we always debrief on the day, and we debriefed about the game yesterday. But we’re always talking. He’s been great."