09 October 2023 , 14:11
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New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh seemingly had a two-word message for his opposite number at the Denver Broncos.
The Jets recorded a 31-21 win over the Broncos on Sunday in Week Five of the 2023 NFL regular season. The win saw the Jets move to 2-3 for the season, while Denver now lies 1-4 after the first five games of the year.
Prior to the game, there was increased attention around Broncos head coach Sean Payton and Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets OC was the head coach in Denver last season before he was fired in December with the team at 4-11.
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The rivalry between the Jets and the Broncos started after Payton made comments in July criticising the coaching job done by Hackett and his staff last season in Denver. Those remarks led to Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers defending Hackett, who he previously worked alongside at the Green Bay Packers.
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Since then the prospect of the two teams facing off in the NFL has been one of the most enticing games this season. In the end, the Jets ran out winners, and Saleh could not help but make a remark to Payton.
At the end of the game, as Payton and Saleh ran onto the field to shake hands, the Jets head coach appeared to have a message for his opposite number in Denver. Video footage of the pair shaking hands appears to show Saleh saying: “Stay healthy” to Payton before walking away.
The Jets would later post a tweet that showed Saleh speaking to the players in the locker room after the win over the Broncos. It was here that Saleh handed Hackett the game ball, with the announcement met with jubilant celebrations by the Jets roster.
“There’s a lot of good things that I can talk about with these stats, but I got one game ball,” said Saleh, speaking to the Jets locker room, before shouting “Hack!” in the direction of the team’s offensive coordinator.
Payton was honest with his reflection of the game when he spoke to reporters in his post-game press conference. The Broncos head coach credited Saleh and his coaching staff for the win, but would not directly answer questions about Hackett or his previous comments about the Jets offensive coordinator.
“I credit Robert and that staff. They won the game,” Payton said, via .
“This one hurts. We didn’t play well,” Payton said. “We didn’t play well enough.”