Former NFL GM rips Jets HC Robert Saleh

Former NFL general manager Randy Mueller suggested New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh should be on the hot seat even though Saleh lost starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles just four offensive plays into the regular season.

"Saleh was known as a rah-rah guy with motivational exuberance, but he has become a stoic sideline master of no reactions," Mueller wrote for The Athletic on Wednesday. "Suffice it to say, that’s not the guy the Jets thought they were getting...Now lacking in confidence to answer even the simplest of media questions about an overrated roster, an offensive scheme that has been terrible in both design and execution, not to mention unpredictable injuries, Saleh is faced with having to make a difference in something that is not his area of expertise: offense." 

Previously a defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, Saleh presumably was given Nathaniel Hackett as an offensive coordinator this past winter because Hackett served as Rodgers' OC when both were with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 through 2021. ESPN stats show that the Rodgers-less Jets enter Week 13 ranked 31st in the NFL with an average of 260.2 yards per game, but Saleh nevertheless continues to stick with Hackett as the team's play-caller. 

It's widely believed throughout the NFL community that Rodgers at least has a significant say regarding decisions made by those running the Jets as he works toward possibly returning to the lineup for the Week 15 game at the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 17. Mueller echoed that take in his piece.

"The offense is more than offensive, and by having no backbone to make change, he allows some of his leadership ability to be questioned," Mueller added about Saleh. "It is clearly Aaron Rodgers' team, and Rodgers is leading this group from afar. In my opinion, Saleh has hidden behind this." 

Saleh will look to improve his record of 15-30 as Jets head coach when 4-7 New York hosts the 5-6 Atlanta Falcons Sunday. If the Jets defeat the Falcons and then earn a home win over the Houston Texans (6-5) in Week 14, Rodgers theoretically could swoop in and take pressure off of Saleh beginning with Gang Green's matchup in Miami.