The New York Jets got off to a strong start to the 2022 season, but trouble was apparently brewing behind the scenes long before the losses began piling up.
Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic on Thursday published an in-depth look at some of the in-fighting that went on with the Jets this year. One of the big takeaways was that New York’s wide receiver corps was not happy with the way former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur simplified the offense when Zach Wilson was under center. No one expressed his displeasure more openly than Elijah Moore.
After the Jets improved to 4-2 with a 27-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, a report surfaced that Moore had requested a trade. The former second-round pick was not targeted once in the game and did not seem to care about the result.
According to Rosenblatt, the trade request came after Moore blew up on LaFleur during practice the following Thursday. The former Ole Miss star is said to have surprised coaches and teammates when he told LaFleur “go f— yourself” and “you suck.” LaFleur and Jets head coach Robert Saleh decided to send Moore home, and he later asked to be traded.
The Jets refused to fulfill the request, and Moore and LaFleur eventually worked things out. There were no major issues the rest of the season. However, it is worth noting that Moore was not the only Jets receiver to demand a trade, with Denzel Mims doing the same over the summer.
LaFleur has since been fired, and even he admitted he had one big regret with the way Wilson was handled. Time will tell how big of a factor the offensive coordinator was in the Jets’ struggles.
