New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is acknowledging the hype surrounding the Jets 2023 season while simultaneously sending a strong message to his team.

After trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets have jumped to one of the top playoff contenders for 2023. The Jets started the 2022 season 5-2 and were primed for a playoff run before losing their last six games amid a quarterback controversy between Zach Wilson and Mike White.

Yet now the Jets are right in thick of media hype, and Saleh isn't hiding that fact, which he refers to as the ‘elephant in the room.' In fact, Saleh thinks it's necessary to address it, “To hide behind that white elephant and pretend it doesn't exist, I think is a negative. I'm a firm believer — address the elephant in the room. Well, now what? You still got to go do something, you still got to attack the day, you still gotta attack your moments,” per Colin Martin of SNY TV.

Saleh went on to say that addressing it is really just stating the obvious, “We know what our expectations are, we know what it is, we know the noise. Everyone knows that everyone's excited about this football team and what it can do. We all have goals. Everybody has goals to be the best at what they can be and to win championships and all that stuff. That's stating the obvious.” per Colin Martin.

Robert Saleh will be under pressure more than anyone this season with the tremendous expectations since the trade for Aaron Rodgers. Saleh enters his third with just a 11-23 record, so he more than anyone understands the pressure facing this season. If the trade for Rodgers doesn't prove successful, Saleh will likely find himself on the hot seat.