Following the shocking firing of Robert Saleh as head coach a mere five games into the 2024 season, the New York Jets have announced that they have named Jeff Ulbrich as the NFL team’s interim coach for the remainder of the current season.
Ulbrich – who previously had served as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before joining the Jets in 2021 – was revealed as the new interim coach via a statement released on Tuesday by the team’s owner, Woody Johnson.
“He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team,” Johnson said in the statement. “I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goal we established this offseason.”
Saleh was signed on as the Jets’ head coach in 2021, and under his leadership, Gang Green finished that year’s season with a disappointing 4–13 record, missing the playoffs for their eleventh year in a row.
Fast-forward to 2024, and the Jets’ had lost three of the five games played so far this season; on October 8, Saleh was fired.
Ulbrich had served under Saleh during his tenure as the team’s defensive coordinator, and was highly-regarded in that position; his first game as interim coach will be against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on a “Monday Night Football” broadcast set for October 14.
