NY Jets news: Sauce Gardner promises playoffs, Robert Saleh's job status, and more

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Sauce Gardner / Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY NETWORK

The NY Jets lost in their season finale on Sunday, dropping their sixth consecutive game to fall to 7-10 on the season. But while they may have fallen short of the playoffs again in 2022, rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner promised a different outcome in 2023.

Gardner told reporters after the game that the Jets would "for sure" be in the playoffs next season. He didn't mince words. He didn't beat around the bush. Gardner straight-up guaranteed a playoff berth for the Jets in 2023.

The Jets extended their infamous playoff drought to an NFL-worst 12 seasons this year, more than double the length of any other active playoff drought in the league. This was despite a 6-3 start to the season that provided plenty of optimism.

Gardner certainly did his part in 2022. Now, it's up to the rest of the Jets' roster and coaching staff to make good on their star rookie's promise next season.

Other NY Jets news

The Jets are not firing Robert Saleh, per report

There has been much discussion about the future of the Jets' coaching staff following the team's disastrous six-game losing streak to end the 2022 season. While head coach Robert Saleh has received some heat, his job is reportedly safe.

NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reported on Sunday that Saleh was "safe," confirming an earlier report from NFL Network's Peter Schrager. It seems as though Saleh will not be fired on 'Black Monday.'

Allbright did also indicate that there "may be some assistants on the move," implying that the Jets may still be making some coaching changes. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur has been a frequent subject of criticism in recent weeks.

It's unclear whether or not LaFleur or other Jets assistants will survive this season, but Saleh's job is reportedly secure. He's not going anywhere.

A not-so-fun stat about the Jets offense

The Jets' offense was downright putrid over the final three weeks of the season. How bad? Historically bad.

The Jets became only the second team in the last decade to fail to score a touchdown in three consecutive games (Washington in 2019 was the only other team). There's no way around that stat — that's troubling.

It gets even worse when you consider the fact that the Jets had three different quarterbacks start those games. Whether it was Zach Wilson, Mike White, or Joe Flacco, the Jets just couldn't do anything on offense.

The Jets need to figure out ways to fix their offense this offseason, and it starts with the quarterback position.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.