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Jets Owner: Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas To Stay For 2024 Season

December 24th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be staying despite overseeing nothing but sub-.500 seasons, the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh tandem will officially be brought back for the 2024 season. Jets owner Woody Johnson confirmed it Sunday.

Johnson, who was finishing up his U.S. ambassadorial tenure when the pair was hired, will sign off on the reported plan to give the power brokers a mulligan after the Aaron Rodgers Week 1 Achilles tear doomed the Jets’ season. Douglas has been on the job since 2019, Saleh since 2021.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson said, via the New York Post’s Brian Costello. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces. … Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better.”

The Jets are 16-32 under Saleh, who will join only a handful of 21st-century coaches in being retained despite beginning his HC run with three straight sub-.500 seasons. The team is a ghastly 25-55 under Douglas, who took over ahead of Adam Gase‘s first season. It is safe to say the Saleh-Douglas duo will be on some of the hottest seats in recent NFL history next season, but Johnson will allow them to stay in charge after the Rodgers acquisition produced a mere four plays of work this year.

This will not go over well with many Jets fans, seeing as the team has collapsed in back-to-back years. But Saleh did execute a defensive turnaround. The team ranked last in both scoring defense and total yardage in 2021; it finished fourth in both categories last season. This year, Saleh’s unit rank 11th in points allowed and seventh in total defense. Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner have emerged as long-term cornerstones, while veteran C.J. Mosley has stabilized his career under Saleh. Complementary pieces have emerged as well, but the 2024 mandate will clearly be on offense, where the team is finishing off one of the worst seasons in modern NFL annals.

New York’s numbers on offense are down from even 2022, when the Zach Wilson train careened off track. The Jets have scored an NFL-worst 13 touchdowns on offense this season. They rank last in total offense and DVOA on that side of the ball, with Wilson — via the team’s shortsighted plan to leave the former No. 2 overall pick as the unquestioned backup entering the season and its refusal to acquire a better option once Rodgers went down in September — leading the charge toward another woeful campaign. Wilson is expected to be elsewhere in 2024, but the Jets’ lead power brokers will be allowed to pick up the pieces around Rodgers.

Considering Rodgers’ endorsements of Saleh and Douglas this week, that seemed to entrench the duo for the ’24 season. Johnson did not, however, mention OC Nathaniel Hackett on Sunday. That could be telling, and Hackett has submitted one of the worst two-year runs in NFL history.

After leading the way in the Broncos’ offense plunging to the NFL basement last season, Hackett has followed that up with comparably awful Jets offense. Denver ranked last in scoring in 2022, leading to Hackett’s firing after just 15 games, tanking the play-caller’s stock after a successful Green Bay run (as a non-play-calling OC). But Rodgers has long backed Hackett. The four-time MVP’s support for Hackett this week will likely lead to the veteran coach sticking around as well. Indeed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds Hackett is expected to come back for the 2024 season.

Look no further than Johnson’s comments on Rodgers’ presence as an indication the QB will get his wish for OC continuity. Rodgers has been practicing with the team for nearly three weeks, doing so despite undergoing Achilles surgery in September. Rodgers’ much-discussed comeback will fall just short, but the Jets activated him from IR and are pleased with the impact he has made on the organization even without playing into the second quarter of Week 1.

“I think if you see Aaron Rodgers right now and the impact he’s having on the team and what he’s able to do with virtually no practice, it’s amazing,” Johnson said. “He’s in the fourth quarter of the league year and he’s throwing like he’s practiced all year. When he starts practicing and gets the timing with receivers just perfect, I think you’re going to see some amazing things.”

The Jets convinced Rodgers to accept a historic pay cut for the 2024 season, and after he was close to retiring this year, the 19th-year veteran said this week he wants to play through at least the 2025 season. Not counting this year as one of the two seasons he plans to play with the Jets, Rodgers will likely be given a considerable say in how the team addresses some of the Johnson-referenced offensive deficiencies in 2024. After the Jets based 2023 around how Rodgers could transform their operation, Johnson will keep the keys in Douglas and Saleh’s hands to see this plan to fruition.

Aaron Rodgers Eyeing Trade For Davante Adams; Other Packers On Jets’ Radar?

December 24th, 2023 at 12:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets are officially retaining Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh; they are expected to keep OC Nathaniel Hackett as well. Jets decision to run back this trio would not go over well with a notable sect of the fanbase. The team is riding the longest playoff drought in major North American sports, but ownership is prepared to give the group a pass after Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear sank this season.

With Rodgers having what certainly appears to be considerable say in the Jets’ decision-making, it should then be expected the team will listen to him regarding 2024 personnel moves. Already pegged as being prepared to pursue Davante Adams in 2024, the Jets look certain to make a genuine pursuit to reunite Rodgers with his former No. 1 Packers target. The Raiders wide receiver appears on Rodgers’ 2024 watch list, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes.

[RELATED: Jets Keeping GM Joe Douglas, HC Robert Saleh]

Rodgers’ 2023 wish list should probably give the Jets pause about more acquisitions driven by their quarterback. Allen Lazard went from signing an $11MM-per-year contract (with $22MM fully guaranteed, most among free agent wideouts this offseason) to being a healthy scratch for a game this season. After producing a career-high 788 receiving yards with the 2022 Packers, Lazard has 311 this season. Randall Cobb has four catches this season, and Dalvin Cook‘s $7MM contract has produced little. But an Adams addition would present a much higher floor.

The Raiders also continue to be linked to considering a trade. With the power brokers that signed off on the Adams trade (Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler) gone, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano indicates there is a strong chance either the Raiders or Adams determines by the 2024 offseason this partnership should end after two years.

Adams, who turns 31 today, is 32 yards away from his fifth 1,000-yard season. A first-team All-Pro three years running, Adams has taken a step back this season. Voicing frustration about his role in the Raiders’ offense this year, Adams will likely finish well shy of his 1,516-yard 2022 showing in Las Vegas. With the Raiders closer to rebuilding after the ousters of McDaniels, Ziegler and OC Mick Lombardi, Adams could well be traded for the second time in three years.

It would cost the Raiders $23.6MM in dead money to trade Adams before June 1 of next year. Though new regimes are not as concerned with accumulating dead money associated with players previous staffs brought in, Champ Kelly is firmly on the radar to be retained as the Raiders’ full-time GM. Kelly was in place as assistant GM when the Raiders traded first- and second-round picks for Adams in March 2022. While Adams remains a high-end wideout, it would likely not cost as much for the Jets to pry him from the Raiders as it did for Las Vegas to obtain the then-franchise-tagged target.

More Packers may be on Rodgers’ 2024 list as well. The quarterback is a strong Aaron Jones backer, Cimini adds, and his friendship with David Bakhtiari is well documented. The Packers will likely release Bakhtiari after another injury-abbreviated season. The Jets need help at tackle and were briefly linked to a Bakhtiari pursuit this summer, but the 32-year-old blocker’s injury trouble since his New Year’s Eve 2020 ACL tear will limit his market.

It is unclear if the Packers will jettison Jones, though they would be tagged with barely $5MM in dead money if they designated the talented veteran as a post-June 1 cut. Jones joined Adams in being one of the Packers’ best skill-position players during Rodgers’ tenure, but he remains valuable to the team. Though, one season remains on Jones’ reworked contract. And the Packers pivoted heavily toward a youth movement in the wake of the Rodgers trade. AJ Dillon is unsigned for 2024. With Cook almost definitely not coming back and Michael Carter being waived recently, the Jets will be looking for a new Breece Hall backup.

Rodgers’ influence and importance to the Jets may lead to a significant say in 2024 personnel moves, but he is officially shut down for the 2023 season. His comeback from September Achilles surgery falling short still led to the Jets using an IR activation. Rodgers is believed to have resisted such a move, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, since he now takes up a roster spot despite not factoring into the team’s gameday plans. Douglas and Saleh made the push to activate Rodgers so he can continue practicing.

Jets GM Joe Douglas Expected To Return In 2024

December 23rd, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Very little has gone according to plan for the Jets this season, but many of the pieces in place right now will remain for next year. That includes quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as well as, in all likelihood, key members of the coaching staff.

A report from last week indicated Jets owner Woody Johnson was content with head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. As a result, the expectation remains that (at Rodgers’ behest, in part) both Saleh and Hackett will be in place at the start of the 2024 season. The same can be said of general manager Joe Douglas.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports there are no signs Johnson is looking to replace Douglas, putting him on track to remain in place just like the Saleh-Hackett pairing. Douglas has been in place since 2019 with New York in his first general manager role. Prior to joining the Jets, he had a long tenure as a Ravens scout before working with the Bears and Eagles.

During Douglas’ reign, the Jets’ playoff drought has extended to 13 seasons, although that is due in part to a sustained rebuilding effort. The 2022 draft (which produced Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall) has been celebrated as a strong class which will give the team foundational players on both sides of the ball for years to come. Misses in the draft have been present as well, though, of course.

The potentially franchise-altering decision to trade for Rodgers was borne in large part out of the inability of Zach Wilson to develop into a starter. The 2021 second overall pick has been benched multiple times, failing to find consistency after being forced back into the No. 1 role following Rodgers’ Week 1 Achilles tear. The latter will not play again this year, but he intends to return for at least one more season.

Hoping for better injury luck at the quarterback spot and offensive line in particular, the Jets are poised to run it back with the current decision-making core. Douglas – who has received criticism for the team’s lack of a proven backup signal-caller and depth up front, especially ahead of Rodgers’ debut season in New York – will remain a key member of that group, having been publicly endorsed by Rodgers and given a tacit seal of approval from Johnson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/23

December 23rd, 2023 at 7:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys 

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Bills will not have depth running back Ty Johnson available for tonight’s game, leading to the decision to elevate Fournette. The former Super Bowl champion will thus make his Buffalo debut, although with lead back James Cook in the lineup, Fournette will likely not receive many looks on offense. The latter has already returned a kickoff for the first time in his career, however.

Signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad last week, Ingram will also make his 2023 debut in Week 16. The 34-year-old last played during his Miami stint in 2022, during which time he started three games and recorded six sacks. With Jaelan Phillips out for the year, Ingram will look to once again give the Dolphins a rotational presence off the edge.

Jets To Start Trevor Siemian In Week 16

December 22nd, 2023 at 10:14am CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets will join the Browns and Vikings in starting four quarterbacks this season. Zach Wilson will be sidelined due to the concussion he suffered against the Dolphins, moving Trevor Siemian into the starting lineup against the Commanders.

Siemian, whom the team signed to its practice squad early this season, will follow Aaron Rodgers, Wilson and Tim Boyle as Jets starting QBs. Brett Rypien, a Nathaniel Hackett charge during the latter’s one-and-done season in Denver, is the backup. After an effort to poach Rypien off the Rams’ practice squad failed earlier this season, the Jets succeeded earlier this month.

This will be Siemian’s second start as a Jet. The journeyman passer debuted with the team during Week 2 of the 2019 season, one he began as Sam Darnold‘s backup. A Darnold mononucleosis bout ushered in Siemian, though the backup suffered a season-ending injury during that Monday-night game against the Browns. Although Siemian has been with seven NFL teams (Broncos, Vikings, Jets, Titans, Saints, Bears, Bengals), he has started for four.

Seeing their Rodgers-dependent plans go awry four plays into the season, the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention. The team turned to Wilson, punting on opportunities to bring in a more experienced backup in the offseason and then on a chance to acquire a better QB following Rodgers’ injury. Siemian, who had inquired with the Jets about an opportunity after Rodgers went down, circled back to the team in late September.

Siemian, 32 next week, has completed just 48.7% of his throws (19-for-39) in relief of Wilson and Boyle this season. The Bengals cut Siemian after Jake Browning beat him out for their QB2 job in August. Both summer Burrow backups will end up making starts, with Browning now having made four this season.

Robert Saleh confirmed Rodgers will not operate as the Jets’ emergency third QB. The future Hall of Famer, after a much-discussed comeback effort, was activated off IR this week. But Rodgers closed up shop on the bid to return to game action. He remains eligible to practice to close out the season, however.

The Jets’ evolving QB group will look different in 2024. Rodgers is planning to play a 20th season (and perhaps a 21st in 2025), but Wilson is unlikely to be retained in the fourth year of his rookie contract. Siemian and Rypien are on one-year deals. It is conceivable one of them stays as a third-string option, but the Jets will be expected to pursue a QB2 upgrade.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/23

December 21st, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Taylor Stallworth has found a new home after getting cut by the Titans back in November. The veteran spent the majority of his stint in Tennessee sitting on injured reserve, getting into six defensive snaps in one appearance. The journeyman has spent time with six different squads since going undrafted out of South Carolina in 2018. He got into 32 games with the Colts between 2020 and 2021, collecting 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/23

December 20th, 2023 at 7:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

  • Designated to return from IR: OL Alex Palczewski

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 20th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers’ Week 15 win over the Falcons brought the Patriots and Cardinals, who each lost, one game closer to the No. 1 overall pick. New England’s weaker strength of schedule provides keeps Arizona in the No. 3 spot, while Washington — weeks away from a likely full-scale reboot — has lost five straight to move into position for its first top-five pick since 2020.

Early reports have the Bears more likely to draft Justin Fields‘ replacement than trading a top pick once again, but the Patriots and Cardinals are still in the running for what could well be the Caleb Williams draft slot. Much less drama would emerge if New England claimed the top pick, as the Patriots would be expected to draft the top QB prize. Arizona landing atop the draft for the second time in six years could produce a derby, with Kyler Murray‘s contract difficult (but not impossible) to move for new GM Monti Ossenfort. QB-needy teams may well be hoping the Cardinals land one of the top two spots, however, providing a potential gateway to a trade-up for Williams or Drake Maye.

The Raiders’ 63-21 demolition of the Chargers slid them down six spots compared to their position last week. The Packers also climbed eight spots from their slot going into Week 15. Green Bay has not held a top-11 draft choice since it drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 first round; that came on the heels of Aaron Rodgers‘ first season at the helm. Jordan Love‘s QB1 debut season could still produce a playoff berth, however, and the rest of the NFC and AFC wild-card races remain tightly bunched.

Here is how the 2024 draft order looks with three regular-season games to play:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. New England Patriots: 3-11
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-11
  4. Washington Commanders: 4-10
  5. Chicago Bears: 5-9
  6. New York Giants: 5-9
  7. New York Jets: 5-9
  8. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-9
  9. Tennessee Titans: 5-9
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 6-8
  11. Green Bay Packers: 6-8
  12. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-8
  13. New Orleans Saints: 7-7
  14. Denver Broncos: 7-7
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 7-7
  16. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-7
  17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  18. Buffalo Bills: 8-6
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-7
  20. Minnesota Vikings: 7-7
  21. Los Angeles Rams: 7-7
  22. Indianapolis Colts: 8-6
  23. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-6
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-5
  26. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  27. Detroit Lions: 10-4
  28. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-4
  29. Miami Dolphins: 10-4
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 10-4
  31. Baltimore Ravens: 11-3
  32. San Francisco 49ers: 11-3

Jets To Activate Aaron Rodgers From IR

December 20th, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Sam Robinson

After a few reports indicated Aaron Rodgers‘ comeback bid would fall short, the Jets quarterback also poured cold water on his long-rumored effort to return from a Week 1 Achilles tear. But the Jets will still keep their preferred starter at practice.

The Jets will activate Rodgers from IR today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This is somewhat of a procedural move, with no game action expected. But it will also allow Rodgers to keep practicing with the team to close out the season. Robert Saleh confirmed Wednesday that Rodgers will be moved back to the 53-man roster, noting the team considers more practice work part of the QB’s rehab.

With the Jets designating Rodgers for return on Nov. 29, Wednesday marked the activation deadline. Had the team not activated Rodgers, he would have reverted to season-ending IR and been shut down. Saleh said (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) Rodgers will not play again this season, confirming what the 40-year-old passer said during his latest Pat McAfee Show appearance. But the third-year HC added that Rodgers would have undoubtedly pushed to come back had the Jets not been eliminated from playoff contention.

Rodgers’ activation leaves the Jets with two IR-return moves remaining, but with the team’s eye on 2024 already, it will use one of the spots to keep its expected ’24 starter at work with teammates. Rodgers expects to not only play in 2024 — his long-held goal upon being traded to the Jets — but to stay for the ’25 season as well. Even though this has been a historically woeful season for the Jets’ offense, Rodgers practice work looks likely to be relevant for next year.

The Jets look unlikely to make major changes to their staff in 2024. This is due in large part to Rodgers’ preference for the Saleh-Joe Douglas–Nathaniel Hackett group. The four-time MVP endorsed each Tuesday. While staying the course will be unpopular with many Jets fans, Rodgers undeniably has tremendous sway in how the organization functions at present. Rodgers was “90% retired” weeks before being traded, and the Packers QB had flirted with retirement during his final Packers years. The Jets may not want to risk rocking the boat here. Keeping Hackett around will ensure Rodgers returns to the same offense in 2024.

Hackett being set to keep his job due to a close relationship with Rodgers (from their three years together in Green Bay) might be a difficult sell for many, considering this season comes on the heels of a historically bad Broncos HC tenure. Hackett has offered a brutal two-year sample as a play-caller, after a successful run as a non-play-calling OC with the Packers. Though, the Jets’ dependence on Zach Wilson doomed Hackett this season. That said, the Jets are worse offensively than they were before Mike LaFleur‘s exit. The Jets rank last in offensive DVOA, holding back another strong defense. After refusing to upgrade on Wilson during the offseason or once Rodgers went down, this fate was not difficult to envision.

Wilson remains in concussion protocol, but the disappointing third-year QB will remain the starter if he is cleared in time for Week 16. Trevor Siemian replaced Wilson against the Dolphins. Wilson is unlikely to be with the Jets beyond this season.

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