The New York Jets have lost three straight games, the last of which came after dramatically re-making the coaching staff.
It made some difference, but not where it mattered, as the Jets (2-4) moved to No. 22 in On SI's NFL power rankings released after Week 6’s games.
The Jets have already set about trying to give the offense more help. On Tuesday, New York finished off a trade to bring wide receiver Davante Adams in from Las Vegas.
The deal reunited him with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as the pair played together for six years in Green Bay. Adams and Rodgers were highly productive together and he’s now the second former Packers receiver to join the team, along with Allen Lazard.
But is that enough to rescue the Jets’ season? Or is it just another part of the endless news cycle for this franchise.
After New York returned from London, where it lost to Minnesota, Jets owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh. He was 20-36 in three-plus years leading the franchise. Johnson said the moves was his “alone” and was done to give a roster he considered to be the “most talented” in his 25 years of ownership a chance to turn things around.
Jeff Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator, was elevated to interim head coach. Ulbrich, a 10-year veteran as a player, was hired by Saleh to coordinator the defense before the 2021 season.
His first order of business was to evaluate the offense, which has struggled mightily in the two games prior to Saleh’s firing, including one game without a touchdown.
Ulbrich did what Saleh was reportedly prepared to do minutes before he was fired. He demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and promoted passing game coordinator Jeff Downing to play-caller. Ulbrich opted to keep play-calling duties on the defensive side.
The changes worked, but only to a point, as the Jets still lost, 23-20, to the Bills.
There was enough drama on another front, too. Holdout pass rusher Haason Reddick made headlines all week.
First, Johnson made a public plea to Reddick to report on the same day he fired Saleh. Reddick, whom the Jets traded for in the offseason, has not reported to the team and has surrendered more than $9 million in fines and salary so far this season.
Next, his former representatives, CAA, dropped him as Reddick was reportedly no longer taking their advice. Later in the week it was reported that CAA had negotiated a one-year deal that would cure what Reddick owned in fines and pay him more than expected, along with an avenue to free agency. Reddick turned it down.
On Monday, he hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him. After he met with the team, he asked for and the Jets agreed to give him a short window to seek a trade for his client.
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