new york jets
ownership: Culture is a nebulous term in sports, a thing you know when you see it, but nowhere is this more evident than when Jets culture rotted under Woody Johnson. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season, have shifted from short-term fixes to a long-term rebuilding vision, and have no patience to lead the team through difficult times. This is a short list of owners who would fire a coach five weeks into the season because they might be embarrassed in front of their friends, but if any owner does it, it’s Johnson.
coach: Giving up on Robert Saleh five weeks into the season would be cruel. Since he took over as head coach of the Jets, he has consistently produced an elite defense despite lacking any support on offense. Despite this, there are still Some The Jets’ decision makes sense. If you were to make a list of who is responsible for this season’s woes, general manager Joe Douglas, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers would be at the top of the list. But the Jets can’t bench Rodgers, and firing Hackett isn’t an option given his close relationship with the quarterback. Firing a general manager won’t bring a spark, so removing the head coach may be the only way to salvage the season.
Quarterback: The Aaron Rodgers of today is not the Rodgers he was during his two consecutive MVP seasons in Green Bay. The 40-year-old, coming off an Achilles injury, looked unsettled in the pocket, unable to conjure the kind of off-script magic that made him such a dynamic threat in his prime.
Hopes for the future: What future? The Jets have a 40-year-old quarterback who operates year-in and year-out. There’s no guarantee Rodgers will return next season. If he does, it’s anyone’s guess who he might name as the new head coach. If Rodgers decides to retire, the Jets will be back on the quarterback merry-go-round.
Despair level: 8/10. They do have talented players, but ownership has a long track record of failure, and it’s difficult to see the team turning things around while the Johnson family remains in charge.
cleveland browns
ownership: Jimmy Haslam has been a source of embarrassment to the league both in the courtroom and on the court. Whenever he finally dumps the Browns, his legacy will be as the owner who handed Deshaun Watson one of the worst contracts in sports history.
coach: Kevin Stefanski has proven he can build a playoff-caliber offense around Joe Flacco and Baker Mayfield, but he’s expected to be a big deal if Cleveland decides to pay $230 million and a bunch of draft picks for Watson substitute.
Quarterback: Watson is the league’s worst starting quarterback this season. This is not an opinion; This is true. Among 31 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranked last in adjusted EPA/game, a measure of bottom-up efficiency. However, because of Watson’s contract, the Browns are so dependent on him that they can’t turn to Jameis Winston — who himself isn’t perfect — for the rest of the season.
Hopes for the future: No. Cleveland has the worst starter at the most valuable position on the field — and they’re paying him more than anyone else at the position. Watson still owes $132 million over the remaining three years of his contract, all of which is guaranteed. Since the Browns restructured the quarterback’s contract last offseason, it will cost the team more Cut or trade him this offseason and eat him roughly. two thirds The team’s salary cap for next season. With Watson already on contract, there’s little the Browns can do to upgrade their roster. They can’t move on from the quarterback position, and they’ve tried every way to cheat the salary cap without making things more painful down the road. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the bleakest scenario in professional sports. That’s before we get to the ethics of giving hundreds of millions of dollars to people with serious accusations.
Despair level: 10/10. Watson’s contract has full marks on both footballing and ethical grounds. This stench will linger around the franchise for quite some time.
carolina panthers
ownership: Few owners have come close to stealing Dan Snyder’s championship belt as the worst owner of the modern era, but David Tepper is putting together a strong resume. Tepper is an eye-popping 32-77 record since acquiring the Panthers in 2018, and his ethos seems to be to move fast and break things. Tepper is constantly chasing sugar highs, cycling his coaching at a pace that would make Roman Abramovich blush.
coach: Dave Canales, who has worked with Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield, was hired to help with Bryce Young’s development. Two weeks later, Canales decided to bench Young and replace him with Andy Dalton, a move that had coaches already monitoring him. Dalton makes the Panthers more competitive in the short term and gives the coach a chance to prove he can be the guy to turn the franchise around, but giving up the No. 1 overall pick so quickly isn’t the brief for the job part of.
Quarterback: The Panthers could return Young as a full-time starter at some point this season. Some time on the sidelines may have helped him regain his confidence or better understand the nuances of Canales’ scheme. But it’s more likely that the coaching staff has decided Young isn’t the right fit and they’ll pursue a new quarterback this offseason.
Hopes for the future: The Panthers took an unusual but admirable path last offseason. They tore apart a stout defense and poured resources into their offense trying to figure out whether Young could be a competent starting quarterback. It doesn’t work. They’ve gotten rid of Young and are now saddled with an expensive and injured offensive line and one of the least talented defenses in the league. It will take years to repair – and the owners have shown no sign of being willing to endure a lean season.
Despair level: 9/10. They burned the draft pick to draft Young, but he doesn’t appear to be the quarterback of the future. Tepper hasn’t shown he knows how to run a capable team.
arizona cardinals
ownership: The NFLPA’s annual team report card ranks the Cardinals as the worst team in the league this season and comes after team owner Michael Bidwill struggled to address issues raised the year before. Bidwell’s downside was that he was stingy and created an uncomfortable work environment. If you were betting on a property owner to cash out within the next five years, Bidwill would be at the top of the list.
coach: Jonathan Gannon deserves credit for keeping Arizona competitive every week, considering the roster situation and behind-the-scenes turmoil he inherited last season. His 6-16 record as head coach has been something of a mirage, as much as it does to his coaching. In his second season, the team showed signs of rising. The offense finally has enough firepower to keep up with anyone. Gannon is a defensive coach who kept a talent-less defense above water early in the season.
Quarterback: Kyler Murray is back to his best this year after returning from an ACL injury midway through last season. There were rumors last year that the Cardinals might consider trading Murray, despite offering the quarterback a massive extension through 2023. picked up Drew Petzing’s offense and established a quick connection with rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Hopes for the future: The Cardinals already have a talented, young offense that ranks among the top ten. That alone gives them a chance to advance in conference play this season. If they can find more toys for Gannon on defense, they have the makings of a solid playoff contender.
Despair level: 4/10. There are concerns about ownership, but there is talent within the coaching and playing staff.
jacksonville jaguars
ownership: In his 12 years as owner, Shahid Khan has made a lot of ridiculous decisions: hiring Urban Meyer, blindly trusting general manager Trent Baalke, Considering a move to London, along with plans to build a new stadium in Jacksonville, and shelving some of the best stadium uniforms in the league. But you have to give it to Khan: he’s not cheap. Jacksonville has some of the best facilities in the league, and Khan has been indulging in free-agent spending. When Trevor Lawrence signed an extension, the team spent more than $275 million, $200 million of which was guaranteed. Unlike other owners who spend money to solve their problems, Khan didn’t pull the trigger quickly. Meyer’s experience aside, Khan has been patient with coaches and general managers. That didn’t work out, and his record as owner now stands at 61-139. Maybe Khan should be more ruthless.
coach: After the Meyer debacle, the Jaguars looked to gain immediate credibility by hiring Doug Pederson, a coach with championship pedigree. But we are now in the final embers of the Pederson era. The coach is 18-20 as Jacksonville’s head coach, including a paltry 2-10 in his last 12 games. All signs point to the Jaguars hitting the reset button this offseason unless they can get back into the playoffs. If they lose on Sunday in London and drop to 1-5, Pederson will likely be left on the tarmac.
Quarterback: Lawrence remains one of the league’s most puzzling quarterbacks. For all his physical gifts, he still makes rash decisions. According to Pro Football Focus, in three seasons as a starter, Lawrence averaged 14 interceptions and 25 (!) turnover-worthy plays per season. Lawrence’s struggles can be blamed on poor coaching and a weak roster, but the former No. 1 overall pick has shown little sign of improvement over the past two years.
Hopes for the future: Lawrence is hope. If he can take away those silly plays, Jacksonville has a perennial top-10 quarterback. What’s concerning is that at this point in his career, all he’s shown so far is who he is. But if the Jaguars do move on from Pederson, there will be many coaches who believe they can polish the rough edges of the quarterback’s game. Plus, with Lawrence’s extension not playing out for the next few seasons, the Jaguars will have a ton of cap space to retool the roster around the quarterback this offseason.
Despair level: 3/10. The owner is weird rather than disastrous. If Lawrence can rediscover his potential, they should prosper.
