NY Jets news: Woody Johnson puts heat on Robert Saleh, front office departures

NY Jets owner Woody Johnson has made his aspirations very clear — his team needs to be better in 2024. Much better.

Johnson spoke at the NFL Honors event on Thursday, and he put some heat on Jets head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, saying that his team "has to produce this year." He stopped short of issuing a playoff mandate, but the message was clear.

Johnson also suggested that Saleh needs to get more involved with the offense in 2024. "It's really all about the offense," Johnson told ESPN's Jeff Darlington. "The offense has to score, keep the defense off the field. The defense is good."

The pressure is on Saleh and Douglas to put together a winning product next season. If not, Johnson may not outright say it, but everyone knows their jobs are at stake.

Other NY Jets news

Jets lose another front office executive

The Jets already parted ways with assistant general manager Rex Hogan this offseason, and they said goodbye to another top front office executive this week.

The team's now-former Director of Player Personnel, Chad Alexander, has left the Jets to become the new assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers. Just like that, Joe Douglas has lost both of his top assistants.

Hogan and Alexander were the two highest-ranking front-office executives in the Jets' organization after Douglas. The former's departure seems to have been more performance-based, while Alexander left to take a small, albeit notable, promotion.

It's unclear if the Jets have any plans to fill either role at this time. The Jets will have a new-look front office entering the offseason, and one has to wonder if these changes are a sign of things to come in the organization.

Jets won't retain this assistant coach

The Jets have also made quite a few changes to their coaching staff this offseason, one of which involved the re-hiring of wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson.

Jefferson spent two years with the franchise in 2019 and 2020, serving as the team's wide receivers coach and assistant head coach under Adam Gase. He's being brought in to replace Zach Azzanni, who lasted just one year with the organization.

Azzanni followed Nathaniel Hackett to the Jets from Denver, and there was some speculation that the team could keep him around in some capacity, even after Jefferson's hiring. That won't be the case, though.

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially announced Azzanni as their new wide receivers coach this week, meaning his time with the Jets will end after just one year. Another coaching shakeup in Florham Park is complete.