The New York Jets coach apologizes for the defensive star’s lack of performance

This year, the New York Jets did what they have been doing for decades: They massively disappointed their fans and everyone who expected them to be competitive.

The Jets added left tackle Tyron Smith and veteran receiver Mike Williams for Garrett Wilson last offseason while expecting their superstar veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to return from an Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him all of 2023 becomes.

That wouldn’t be nearly enough, and the team holds a record of 4-12 at the time of writing, good enough for third place in the AFC East.

The franchise fired Robert Saleh, their head coach since 2021, on October 8 and named Jeff Ulbrich, their then-defensive coordinator, as interim coach. It hasn’t made much of a difference, as Saleh led the team to a 2-3 record this year before receiving the boot, and Ulbrich has led the team to a 2-9 record since taking over.

Another player New York added via trade in the offseason was star linebacker Haason Reddick. It took a 2026 third-round draft pick to sign the linebacker from the Philadelphia Eagles, and while it seemed like a bargain at the time, the Eagles may have known something no one else did.

In the first seven seasons of Reddick’s career, the linebacker averaged 7.8 sacks per year, 62 total tackles per year and nine tackles for loss per year. The veteran didn’t miss a game during that time, playing 97 and starting 64.

This year was drastically different for Reddick. The linebacker missed mandatory training camps and his break extended into the regular season. Reddick has only appeared in nine games this year, including just one, and his performance has suffered as a result.

Despite the lack of performance, the Jets’ interim manager today apologized for the veteran, calling Reddick “one of the most selfless players ever.”

It’s just another example of how hands-off the franchise and its employees are about things.

Reddick has proven to be anything but “selfless” as his delays extended into the regular season, missed camps, and all of that contributed to his performance being non-existent.

While Reddick certainly wasn’t the reason New York struggled this year, his lack of production and Ulbrich’s lack of grip on reality are both a microcosm of company-wide issues that plague the franchise and will continue to weigh it down until they are fixed .