Admin October 8, 2024
New York Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh after 2-3 start
Woody Johnson and the Jets have decided to part ways with Robert Saleh. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as interim head coach.
Sports Seriously
The New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh five weeks into the 2024 NFL season, reportedly leaving the fourth-year coach “blindsided.”
Saleh’s dismissal came after the Jets lost to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings in consecutive games. New York began the season with a 2-3 record despite having Aaron Rodgers healthy and available, so Jets owner Woody Johnson decided the team needed a change.
Saleh posted a 20-36 record during his three-plus seasons with the Jets and never made it to the postseason. That said, he turned the Jets’ defense into one of the best units in the NFL, and that should allow him to land on his feet with another NFL role in short order.
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It doesn’t look like that will come during the 2024 NFL season. Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Saleh is planning to spend some time with his family while preparing for the NFL’s next hiring cycle, which will occur during the 2025 offseason.
Saleh figures to be in demand as a defensive coordinator candidate, but where could he land? There are plenty of potential fits for the 45-year-old, even at this early stage in the 2024 NFL season.
Robert Saleh landing spots
Dallas Cowboys
Naturally, Saleh’s top potential landing spots are all going to be teams that have coaches on the hot seat. With Saleh now ousted, nobody’s seat is hotter than Mike McCarthy’s. He is expected to lead the Cowboys on a deep playoff run, and anything short of that could prompt Jerry Jones to make a coaching change, especially with Bill Belichick looming as a potential coaching candidate.
The Cowboys thrived with Dan Quinn as their defensive coordinator before he took the Washington Commanders head coaching job. Dallas hasn’t found the same level of defensive success under Mike Zimmer. They rank just 23rd overall in FTN’s Defensive DVOA metric, but Saleh could help the Micah Parsons-led squad find the attacking success it enjoyed under Quinn.
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New Orleans Saints
Saleh had a winning percentage of .357 in his three-plus seasons as the Jets head coach, good for the second-worst mark among active NFL coaches. Only Dennis Allen’s .347 mark is worse, so the Saints’ third-year coach seems likely to face increased pressure with New Orleans tailing off after a fast start.
Allen has done strong work with the Saints defense as a coordinator and head coach. His issues come on the offensive side of the ball, where the Saints have struggled to be anything more than mediocre under his watch. That could lead New Orleans to target an offensive-minded coaching candidate if they opt to replace Allen.
If that happens, Saleh would be an ideal coordinator candidate who could come in and continue Allen’s strong work on that side of the ball. Saleh would particularly enjoy working with Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor in the secondary and could turn New Orleans’ secondary into one of the most fearsome defensive units in the NFL.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Doug Pederson is another notable hot-seat head coach. The Jaguars were the NFL’s last winless team before their Week 5 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Jacksonville’s defense ranks bottom-three in both points and yards allowed to opponents this season, so they could use a coordinator swap even if Pederson does manage to save his job.
Saleh has ties to the Jaguars, as he was the team’s linebackers coach from 2014-16 under Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone. That familiarity could help influence his decision if the Jaguars end up in the market for a new defensive coordinator.
Cincinnati Bengals
Zac Taylor’s seat isn’t quite as hot as McCarthy’s, Allen’s, or Pederson’s, but the Bengals’ 1-4 start has to have owner Mike Brown thinking about making some key staff changes. Even if Taylor stays, Cincinnati could decide to shake things up on defense, with Lou Anarumo’s defense struggling.
Anarumo has fared well during most of his six-year tenure with the Bengals, but Cincinnati ranks just 22nd in Defensive DVOA through five weeks this season and is allowing the second-most points per game (29) behind only the Carolina Panthers. That could prompt a change if those issues continue, and Saleh would be a nice fit to coach up some of Cincinnati’s young defensive talent like Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill, and Myles Murphy.
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Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen isn’t going anywhere given the work he has done during his first season-plus with the Colts, but Gus Bradley’s job may soon be on the line. He is in his third season with the Colts. In all three campaigns, Indianapolis’s scoring defense has ranked in the bottom quartile of the league.
Indianapolis has allowed a league-high 419.2 yards per game during the 2024 season, 25.8 yards per game worse than the 31st-ranked Jaguars. Suffice it to say that won’t cut it, and Saleh would have the potential to turn this defense around quickly thanks to talented athletes like Kwity Paye and Laiatu Latu on the defensive line.
San Francisco 49ers
Could Saleh return to the 49ers? It’s possible, though it’s probably the least likely among the listed options. Nick Sorensen is in his first season as the team’s defensive coordinator and the 49ers rank top-12 in both points and yards allowed per game through five weeks. As such, San Francisco may want to let Sorensen prove himself rather than make a coordinator change for a third consecutive offseason (even if it’s for a proven commodity like Saleh).
At the same time, Kyle Shanahan is still looking to win his first Super Bowl, and he might be willing to pull out all the stops to do that. Could that mean bringing Saleh on as an assistant head coach to run the defense with Sorensen? It shouldn’t be ruled out. Neither should Saleh being hired to replace Sorensen if San Francisco’s defensive performance drops off as the season progresses.