Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas got a bad break this season. They knew the pressure of the playoff mandate and were going to get a real shot at ending the playoff drought with Aaron Rodgers coming to the New York Jets.

So, when Aaron Rodgers went down four offensive plays into the year, expectations had to change. For the front office, for the fans, for the players, and for Jets owner Woody Johnson. The playoff mandate went out the window, and new expectations needed to be set for Robert Saleh and his staff.

I guess expectations fell so low that a 6-9 team with a -84 point deferential was the bar that Saleh and his staff needed to hurdle. If so, mission accomplished.

Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas were given an early Christmas present on Christmas Eve when Jets owner Woody Johnson made it known that the Jets would retain both guys for next season.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview before Sunday’s 30-28 Jets 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.”

I actually agree with the decision to keep the leadership in place, but the naivety or blatant lies of Johnson’s comments are what irk me. Johnson says they need a quarterback like he didn’t draft one number two overall and fail to develop him in any way. Like he didn’t look at the situation early on this season and decide NOT to bring in anyone of substance to possibly take over.

He’s right, the defense is better. And it was wasted on one of the ineptest offenses in the NFL. He’s right. The offense does need a few pieces. Three of them along the offensive line and at least one wide receiver who doesn’t have a job because he spent time in a yurt with Aaron Rodgers one summer.

“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson said as a reason why he wants Douglas and Saleh back. “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.”

Translation: Aaron Rodgers told me to keep them and I’m doing that.

I believe Aaron Rodger will mask a lot of the ineptitudes of this team when he plays. I also think that most players make terrible general managers. Rodgers is another in a long list of players who fits the mold.

Woody Johnson, and by extension Joe Douglas, need to continue to build this team the way they had planned to if Zach Wilson was a success. They need to do their own evaluations and have very little input from the quarterback.

Saleh is 17-32 in three seasons as head coach of the Jets. “[I’m] always appreciative to get Woody’s support,” Saleh said after Sunday’s win. “There’s a lot of things that we look at this season and a lot of things we know we can do a lot better and a lot of things that we can learn from. We’ve got two more games to finish but with ’24 looming, there’s going to be a lot of excitement to go attack this thing again.”

Saleh was asked what makes him the right man for the job.

“It’s just one of those deals where obviously I can sit here and give you reasons why I think I’m the right coach,” Saleh said, “but at the same time there’s going to be a lot of things that I’ve got to reflect on and acknowledge to get better at not just with myself but globally and use this offseason to make sure we’re attacking it in a way that gets us toward the goal that we all believe we can get to, which is a championship.”

Yes, Robert Saleh deserves one season without Zach Wilson or someone worse at quarterback. But his leash should be substantially shorter next season.

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