When Bill Belichick speaks, the NFL listens—and his latest takedown of the New York Jets? Brutal. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, the eight-time Super Bowl champion didn’t hold back on the Jets’ turmoil this season, calling out owner Woody Johnson’s leadership and the franchise’s seemingly endless chaos.
“It starts at the top,” Belichick said pointedly. “Woody started pulling the levers, got rid of and fired Saleh. I don’t understand that; I thought he’s done a great job with the defense.” He went on, dissecting a series of head-scratching moves by the Jets. “They made the defensive coordinator the head coach; I’m not really sure what that did… It seems like a lot of moves here by Woody that I’m not sure about. I don’t really understand how they add up,” he added, delivering a line that only fuels questions about the Jets’ current state.
Belichick’s remarks come in the wake of head coach Robert Saleh’s sudden firing—a decision that’s left many scratching their heads, including Belichick himself. For a defensive group that’s often kept the Jets afloat, Saleh’s dismissal was a shocker, and Belichick didn’t hold back on the ripple effects. “The rest of the organization just has the appearance of dysfunctionality,” he said. “That’s the ownership, that’s personnel, that’s coaching. Where exactly that falls I’m not sure, but it just hasn’t looked good.”
Belichick later spoke to former NFL executive Michael Lombardi on his Coach Podcast, digging even deeper into what he sees as the Jets’ “cultural” issues. “This is cultural within the building and until they fix the building, there’s no magic wand that’s going to change it,” Lombardi pointed out, to which Belichick nodded in agreement, saying, “Which it’s probably been for the last decade.”
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN didn’t mince words when it came to Aaron Rodgers’ influence on the Jets’ fate, stating that his arrival has been anything but the renaissance fans were promised. “Aaron Rodgers is going to the Hall of Fame,” Smith acknowledged, “but when you see a team nosedive this way… handing the reins to him, letting him bring in his own offensive coordinator, letting him bring in some of his own receivers,” Smith said, referring to Rodgers’ influence on Jets management as a turn that’s quickly gone sour.
For the Jets, the path forward looks bleak—and for fans and analysts alike, Belichick’s words sting because they ring all too true. With the franchise facing systemic issues that transcend any single season or player, it’s unclear whether any quick fix could restore credibility. But if there’s one thing Belichick made certain, it’s this: the Jets’ problems run far deeper than just this season, and it’s high time for accountability at every level.
