It sounds like head coach Robert Saleh isn’t embracing a “Super Bowl or bust” mentality for the 2023 NFL campaign even after his New York Jets landed quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers this offseason.
Per Ryan Chichester of Audacy, radio personality Joe Benigno explained during the Monday afternoon edition of the “Joe and Evan” WFAN program how he recently enjoyed a round of golf with Saleh. While the two were on the course, Benigno, a passionate Jets fan, insisted that the team has to do more than merely compete for a playoff spot with Rodgers this season.
“The first thing I said to him was, ‘Coach, you gotta win. The pressure is on, man. You gotta win this year,'” Benigno recalled about his conversation with Saleh. “He goes, ‘Ah, there’s no pressure.’ I said, ‘No pressure? You better win opening night against (the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11.) You think there’s no pressure?’ I think what he said to me was, ‘Pressure is having seven kids.'”
As noted by the Jets’ website, Saleh and his wife, Sanaa, have seven children.
Saleh went 11-23 across his first two seasons as Jets head coach with the likes of Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco and Chris Streveler taking meaningful snaps at quarterback. Now that the Jets have Rodgers atop the depth chart, OddsChecker shows they entered Monday evening fourth among betting favorites at +1100 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII this coming February.
Nevertheless, Benigno suggested Saleh may be too “nice” to win in the country’s largest sports market.
“He’s a heck of a guy,” Benigno added about Saleh. “I’m worried that’s his biggest drawback, is that he’s too nice, but I pray this guy is the guy.”
Then again, it’s possible Saleh feels “no pressure” ahead of training camp because he knows Rodgers gave the Jets a three-year commitment regarding his playing future before Gang Green acquired him this past spring. Even if that’s the case, Saleh could find his seat quite warm if the Jets fail to meet expectations in the first year of Rodgers’ stint with the organization.
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