The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the interim head coach, per Schefter's reporting.
Jets informed Robert Saleh of their decision minutes ago. There will be a new head coach for Monday night’s game vs. Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/0DYjm0cLKZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 8, 2024
The move comes on the heels of the Jets' 23-17 loss against the Minnesota Vikings in London that dropped the Jets to a 2-3 record. The previous week, the Jets lost an ugly 10-9 games to the Denver Broncos and rumors began swirling that Saleh's job could be in jeopardy.
Offense was a huge issue for the entirety of Saleh's tenure in New York. The team shuffled through six quarterbacks in four seasons. They brought in Aaron Rodgers last season to take over the reins, but had to go back to much maligned quarterback Zach Wilson after Rodgers suffered an achilles injury on opening night in 2023. In his first three seasons as the coach, the Jets ranked 28th (2021), 29th (2022), and 29th (2023) in scoring. Through five games, they rank 25th in scoring.
Saleh hasn't had a winning season with the Jets in the four seasons he's been with the team, amassing a 20-36 record during his tenure in New York. The Jets were one of the least profitable teams in the league with a 23-32-1 record against the spread during Saleh's time as head coach. Of the 59 coaches who have been in the NFL since Saleh became the head coach of the Jets, only former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith (20-30-1) was worse.
Robert Saleh finishes 23-32-1 ATS with the Jets — with a $100 bettor down $1,094.
Since taking the job in 2021, he’s the 2nd-least profitable coach of 59 coaches ATS ahead of only Arthur Smith. pic.twitter.com/XgcVKcXTUB
— Evan Abrams (@EvanHAbrams) October 8, 2024
Saleh is now the 39th coach to be fired during the regular season since 2003. Those previous 38 teams have gone 17-21 straight up (SU) and 22-16 against the spread (ATS) the following week.
Those teams had a 100-256-3 SU record (28%) prior to the head coaching change. They also compiled a 132-221-5 ATS (37.4%) record prior to the coaching change.
The move didn't immediately make an impact on the Jets' odds to win the Super Bowl — they remain 30-1 since the firing — but it did drop their odds to win the division. The Jets entered Week 1 of the season as the favorites to win the AFC East at +160. Entering Week 5 they were +250 to win the division behind the Buffalo Bills who are -250 to win the AFC East. After the firing, the Jets are +300.
