The New York Jets aren’t making many changes to their coaching staff this offseason. The Jets plan to keep all three coordinators in place as well as most, if not all, of their major position coaches.
One coach that many thought might be on the way out is Keith Carter who runs the offensive line for the Jets. The Jets offensive finished 31st in Pro Football Focus’ final offensive line rankings for 2023 and protection was an issue for the Jets all season.
But the Jets have said they are planning on returning Carter in 2024 to lead what will likely be a rebuilt offensive line, a move that some of the Jets players don’t seem to like.
In a now deleted post, Jets running back Breece Hall put laughing emojis on a social media post from former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman, Taylor Lewan where he said he didn’t like Keith Carter. The post was also retweeted by Mekhi Becton.
Former Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco, who was coached by Carter in Atlanta, agreed with Lewan by commenting on his post: “Keith Carter was nobody’s favorite coach and I can say that with a lot of confidence.”
Former Jets offensive linemen Adam Pankey (who spent time with Carter in Tennessee as well) and Trystan Colon have liked posts on social media calling for Carter’s firing.
Carter is a very intense coach and runs very intense practices. His reputation is as a mean-spirited coach who puts his players in danger in practice by working them too hard, often leading to increased injury risk. It’s no coincidence that Carter’s offensive lines are often among the most injured in football, and the 2023 Jets are evidence of that.
Robert Saleh spoke about the job Carter did this season and spoke very highly of the offensive line coach.
“I think he did a really nice job. There’s things that he’s, like all of us, there’s things that he’s going to have to improve on, but, in the first year of a system to go through that many changes and to have to coach that many young men who had gotten here mid-season, I thought he did a really good job,” Saleh said of Carter.
“I thought our run game, like I said, our run game got better and better, Breece in the outside zone scheme really hit strides over the last few weeks. Again, it’s year one of a system with all the turnover and the content still being able to improve as the year went on, I thought he did a really nice job.”
Losing Faith in Saleh
I wrote recently that the Jets were making a mistake in keeping all their coaches, but this goes to a different level. This is either delusion or flat out lying, and I don’t think either is acceptable. How can this be the way he views the performance of his offensive line or their coach?
The Jets had one of the worst offenses in football by any stat or metric you can use, and not one person is being held accountable on the coaching staff. Sure, they are scapegoating Zach Wilson who deserves a fair share of the blame for the putrid, vomit-inducing, disaster the Jets called an offense this year, but it certainly wasn’t all his fault. You are telling us not one coach is to blame?
I have been a supporter of Robert Saleh for a long time, including the last few weeks when the Jets limped towards the finish line. I believe players like him, and I believe he knows ball. But I now believe he doesn’t know people.
For him to say any of the things he said regarding their offense and do nothing to change it shows he is blind to the lack of talent in the personnel around him. Carter is obviously not well liked amongst players, and he can’t be very well respected if players are literally putting laughing emojis on social media posts ripping him.
Why would Saleh keep Carter around? How are you going to attract free agent offensive lineman (and you will need to) when your current team is bashing the guy you put in charge of them? “Come play for the Jets and Coach Carter, you are going to hate him!”
So, if Carter isn’t liked, respected, or good at his job, why is he still on the staff? Robert Saleh needs to do something about this before he is looking for a job alongside Carter next year.
