Robert Saleh was fired on Tuesday, however the Jets’ head-coaching change was not the one main shake-up that was mentioned. The standing of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was set to vary not lengthy earlier than Saleh’s dismissal.
The fourth-year head coach was “seriously contemplating” the idea of firing Hackett, per a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. That call might have come as early as Tuesday, however given the occasions which have since taken place, that’s after all now not doable. Hackett’s job is safe, however his position may nonetheless be altered quickly.
Refuting Jones’ report, SNY’s Connor Hughes states firing Hackett was by no means truly on the desk. He and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk add that Saleh was, nonetheless, stripping the much-maligned OC of his play-calling duties forward of Week 6. Had Saleh adopted by way of with that plan, passing sport coordinator Todd Downing would have referred to as performs with Hackett remaining on New York’s employees. The latter has confronted questions all through his New York tenure, with the crew having sought out an offensive staffer to oversee him this offseason.
It was later discovered former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was one of many coaches who was contacted by the Jets about such a task. He declined the team’s interest earlier than finally taking the Steelers’ OC gig. That left Hackett — a detailed buddy of quarterback Aaron Rodgers who loved a profitable run with him in Inexperienced Bay — accountable for an offense that struggled mightily in 2023. Rodgers’ Week 1 Achilles tear gave the teaching employees (together with common supervisor Joe Douglas) a mulligan for the present season, however issues haven’t gone in keeping with plan thus far on offense.
A wholesome Rodgers (no less than, apart from the low-ankle sprain he suffered on Sunday and the knee damage he handled from the week prior) led to renewed expectations for Hackett’s unit. The Jets rank twenty third in offensive DVOA thus far, although, in comparison with a Twelfth-place rating on protection by the identical metric. Optimism for enchancment didn’t exist amongst gamers or coaches if Hackett remained accountable for the offense, and proprietor Woody Johnson has been critical of the ex-Broncos head coach’s latest performances. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich didn’t instantly say who will deal with play-calling duties as he takes over the 2-3 crew.
If Downing have been to be tapped for that position, he can be in place to steer an offense for the primary time since his Titans tenure resulted in 2022. The 44-year-old was retained by the group following a November DUI arrest in that 12 months, however he was fired on the finish of the marketing campaign. Tennessee ranked mid-pack in scoring and whole offense in 2021, however the next 12 months the crew dropped to thirtieth and twenty eighth, respectively, in these departments. Downing was however in a position to quickly land his current gig with the Jets, and he may very well be in line for added tasks.
With Saleh being fired “5 minutes” after his play-calling plan had been made recognized, per Hughes’ report, it’ll definitely be fascinating to see if Ulbrich carries it out. If Hackett does retain management of the offense, although, he’ll little doubt face elevated scrutiny because the Jets try and pivot from the Saleh period to the playoffs.
