Schefter: Todd Downing could replace Nathaniel Hackett as Jets' offensive play-caller | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Nathaniel Hackett remains the New York Jets' offensive coordinator, but he could face a demotion.

SNY's Connor Hughes reported Tuesday that Robert Saleh, who was fired as head coach, plans to hand over the game management to passing game coordinator Todd Downing. Hughes added that the idea may also be considered by interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

ESPN's Adam Schefter repeated this reporting on Wednesday The Pat McAfee Show:

Many Jets fans will welcome any move to reduce Hackett's impact on the offense. New York was one of the NFL's worst offensive teams in 2023, and the unit hasn't improved much despite quarterback Aaron Rodgers being healthy.

However, the switch to Downing as game manager shouldn't be a big improvement.

The 44-year-old was the offensive coordinator for three seasons, two with the Tennessee Titans and one with the Oakland Raiders. His offenses never ranked higher than 17th in yards or 15th in points.

Most concerning, Downing has failed to develop a magic elixir that will make his quarterbacks behave like themselves. That would be practical given New York's current situation.

Fire Saleh. Demotion of Hackett. Increasing downing. All of these decisions are based on the fact that Rodgers looks like a 40-year-old who is a season away from a torn Achilles tendon. In five starts, he has thrown for 1,093 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions and ranks 21st in QBR (49.1), according to ESPN.com.

If anything, Rodgers returns to the passer he was in his final year with the Green Bay Packers. His 218.6 yards per game are nearly equal to 2022 (217.4), while his 61.0 percent completion rate and 6.0 yards per attempt are slightly lower than 2022 numbers.

The Jets can reshuffle the coaching staff and perhaps even pull off a blockbuster trade for Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams. At the moment it's hard to see how they can achieve their lofty ambitions with this version of Rodgers in the middle.