Report: Jets owner decides that coach Saleh and GM Douglas will return next season

Updated Dec. 24, 2023 6:50 p.m. ET

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will continue to lead the team next season, as expected.

Owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post on Sunday that he will stand pat with the team's football leadership, even after a dismal season that resulted in a 13th straight year for the franchise without a playoff appearance — the longest active drought in major North American professional sports.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson told the newspaper a few hours before the Jets' 30-28 win over the Washington Commanders. “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.”

After the game, Saleh said the news “wasn't surprising” to him since Johnson had previously shared his thoughts with the coach.

“I'm always appreciative to get Woody's support,” Saleh said. "There are a lot of things that we look back at from the season, a lot of things we know we can do a lot better, a lot of things that we have learned from.

“We have two more games to finish. With ’24 looming, there will be a lot of excitement to go attack this thing again.”

Johnson acknowledged the return next season of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a factor in his decision. The 40-year-old Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut with the Jets, who were eliminated from playoff contention with a 30-0 loss at Miami last Sunday.

Earlier this week, Rodgers gave his full support to Saleh, Douglas and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson said, explaining his decision. “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 6-9 after their win over the Commanders, with road games at Cleveland on Thursday and at New England on Jan. 7 to close the season.

“It's cool to know for the owners and everybody, the GM, to show the faith they have in our coaches and everything,” said running back Breece Hall, who ran for 95 yards and two TDs and caught 12 passes for 96 yards against Washington.

“We have some really good guys on our team and we need a few more pieces,” Hall added. “It's going to be cool to see how everything continues to grow.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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