After a season that ended on a six-game losing streak, the Jets reportedly have parted ways with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
The move was a mutual decision, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and ends LaFleur’s two-year stint as New York’s offensive coordinator. Several teams already have reached out about speaking with LaFleur, and Jets head coach Robert Saleh has granted permission for LaFleur to seek other opportunities.
LaFleur joined the Jets’ staff when Saleh was hired ahead of the 2021 season. The two previously had coached together with the 49ers from ’17 to ’20. Prior to that, LaFleur spent time with the Falcons and Browns as an offensive assistant and intern, respectively.
The Jets ranked 29th in the league this season in points per game (17.4) and 25th in yards per game (318.2). The team ranked 28th and 26th in the league, respectively, in those categories the previous year.
LaFleur arrived in New York ahead of the 2021 season along with quarterback Zach Wilson, who the team selected with the No. 2 pick in that year’s draft. In 22 starts over the past two seasons, Wilson has thrown for 4,022 yards with 15 touchdowns and 18 interceptions to go along with a 55.2% completion rate.
LaFleur, who has a decades-long relationship with Saleh, said last week that he understood the business side of football, and expressed no misgivings about his job security.
“This is a production-based business; you’re not going to run from that,” LaFleur said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I grew up in a family of coaches—my dad’s been fired, my brother’s been fired. Every coach is going to be fired at some point and rehired. It’s just the cycle—that’s what it is. That doesn’t keep me up at night or put me to sleep.”
