The 2023 New York Jets were crushed by the high expectations that came with acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and many gave them a free pass for their free fall after he suffered a season-ending injury in week 1.
But not all shortcomings could be laid at Rodgers’ feet, including one that the 7-10 ballclub would just as soon forget.
NFL analyst Don Kleiman noted that the Jets led the league in 2023 in an inauspicious category – most penalties per game.
Gang Green racked up a staggering 7.5 per outing, a full penalty more on average than the next closest teams.
Penalties per game last season pic.twitter.com/tcEXBsQXo6
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 24, 2024
A high penalty count is often attributed, rightly or wrongly, to poor coaching, and this number just added coals to the fire that is burning under Robert Saleh’s hot seat.
Now, the Jets have finished consecutive seasons under Saleh’s tutelage 4-13, 7-10 and 7-10, not exactly a record that will pad his resume for potential future employers.
Having a healthy Rodgers in 2024 may mean all is well in Jets Nation, and nothing heals old wounds like a winning season.
But it is not a good sign when a team leads the league in mistakes that it should have been working to correct since the offseason.
A squad as loaded with defensive talent as New York and boasting Rodgers under center may go far, and there have been great NFL teams that did not fare well in the penalty department.
But losing and piling miscues on top of miscues is a sure way to ensure a brief tenure, and this fall’s Jets need to clean up their act, or Saleh may be looking for work.
