The Jets fired Robert Saleh because of overinflated expectations that remain too high

Once the New York Jets parted with valuable draft capital to acquire Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers during the 2023 offseason, they were officially all-in on a Super Bowl chase.

Once Rodgers ruptured his Achilles four plays into the season, the math on those expectations was supposed to change.

Unfortunately for Robert Saleh, it didn't. With Rodgers still on a team otherwise built to win, the math can't change. The Jets need it to work, because their 40-year-old quarterback fresh off a serious injury doesn't have time for it not to. And so after an ugly 2-3 start to the 2024 season, Saleh was fired as the team's head coach, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.

He was the scapegoat for expectations that were too high to begin with.

The Jets opened the season with the AFC's sixth-best odds at BetMGM to win the Super Bowl (+2000), which seemed reasonable enough for what was, at best, a fringe playoff team to the level-headed among us. However, it was clear almost immediately people expected more than playoffs, as New York attracted the sixth-most money of any team, regardless of conference, to win the Super Bowl.

Even today, with the Jets fresh off an overseas beating at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, their +1500 odds to win the AFC are better than all but four teams. By contrast, the Denver Broncos, who held the Jets to nine points in a Week 4 upset, have +5000 odds.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (+2200) and Los Angeles Chargers (+3000) also have worse odds than the Jets despite better records and scoring margins.

It's like people refuse to believe New York's offense is as bad as it's looked. You can count Jets owner Woody Johnson among them.

Johnson believes his team is ready to win now and felt it was necessary to make a move to get things on track before it was too late, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported.

That's why Saleh is no longer the coach. The Jets are a team expected to compete for a championship with an offense short on talent and a quarterback no longer capable of elevating players around him to a championship level.

Without making a significant trade, I wouldn't bet on that changing under reported interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, another defensive mind like Saleh. But with Rodgers still around and the team struggling, it would have been more surprising if the Jets didn't make a move.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Jets fired Robert Saleh because of overinflated expectations that remain too high