FLORHAM PARK, NJ — Though the New York Jets’ playoff hopes have been largely sapped by a struggling offense, coach Robert Saleh insisted Monday he wouldn’t let outside noise influence his decision about offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s future.
Saleh said he still has complete confidence in LaFleur, even though the Jets have only had four touchdowns in their current five-game losing streak. The Jets (7-9) were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday with a 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive quarters without a touchdown.
Preferring to look at the big picture rather than recent results, Saleh said the Jets’ sophomore was “a commitment to going young everywhere – coaches, players, staff, everyone.” It’s so important to take a deep breath… and make sure we’re telling ourselves the truth instead of allowing narrative and panic to set in.
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Last season, the Jets had a rookie coach in Saleh, a rookie coordinator in LaFleur, and a rookie quarterback in No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. The plan was to let them grow together, but it hasn’t improved much.
Under LaFleur, 36, the Jets were 28th last season and are 27th this year as they dealt with Wilson’s acute growing pains and injuries to rookie running back Breece Hall and the offensive line.
Saleh is close friends with LaFleur’s older brother, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, and has known Mike LaFleur since they were teenagers. When Saleh got the job with the Jets in 2021, his first significant hire was Mike, also a former 49ers assistant.
“I was in (Mike) LaFleur’s shoes,” Saleh said, recalling being in the hot seat after the 2018 season as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. “It would have been very easy for Kyle (Shanahan) to fire me, very easy to say, ‘You know what?
“But to his credit, we sat down … he committed to me, and the rest is history.”
The 49ers won the NFC championship in 2019, raising Saleh’s profile as a head coach candidate. He said it takes discipline to make objective assessments and “not get away with knee-jerk reactions that would throw a damn good football coach – or a good player – off track. That’s where Zach comes in.”
“I was in (Mike) LaFleur’s shoes. It would have been very easy for Kyle (Shanahan) to fire me, very easy to say, ‘You know what? We went 4-12, you’re the scapegoat, get out of the building.” But to his credit, we sat down… he committed to me, and the rest is history.
Jets coach Robert Saleh
Jets coach Robert SalehLaFleur and Wilson, replaced in the lineup by Mike White, were the lightning rods during the team’s late-season collapse.
Regarding LaFleur, Saleh conceded the results weren’t good enough, but he believes there has been some growth on offense, mostly in individual players. On Sunday, rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson became the first Jets player to rush for 1,000 receiving yards in a season since 2015.
“There were stretches where we had one of the most prolific offenses in the league here and there for a few games in a row,” said center Connor McGovern. “It’s just a matter of consistency. It’s not just LaFleur, it’s not just the players. It’s because the entire New York Jets aren’t consistent.”
Commenting on Wilson’s future looking uncertain after two bench presses, Saleh reiterated that there is no desire to move away from him. While he wouldn’t commit to Wilson as a 2023 starter, he said it was premature to cut the bait after just two seasons. He doesn’t want to repeat the organization’s past mistakes, noting that there are “so many” former Jets who are successful.
One of them, Seattle resident Geno Smith, hit her on Sunday.
“If there’s one franchise that should recognize, ‘Maybe we should give these young men some time,’ it’s this organization,” Saleh said.