The 3-8 Jets: How it all went so wrong, so fast for Aaron Rodgers & Co. 

Aaron Rodgers made a couple of statements after a spring practice that ended up being more accurate than any pass he’s thrown in a Jets uniform.

“There’s a lot of heat on all of us,” Rodgers said. “If I don't do what I know I'm capable of doing we're all probably going to be out of here.”

Rodgers was on target.

Owner Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh after Week 5 and dismissed general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday. Rodgers’ time with the Jets is likely nearing an end, too.

The Jets are 3-8 at their bye with a housecleaning in full effect. Here’s a look at how and why this ugly, disappointing season has unraveled:

Woody’s world

The best owners hire good people and trust them to do their jobs without getting too involved. Johnson doesn’t fit that description.

Last season, management wanted a proven veteran backup behind Rodgers but were not allowed to sign one because of the money invested in Zach Wilson.

This year, firing Saleh after five games was a panic and flat-out bad move that the impulsive Johnson orchestrated without any input. Douglas became a GM in title only at that point.

There are reports that Johnson wanted Rodgers benched after Week 4 with the Jets 2-2. That’s troubling, to say the least. Johnson also had his hands in acquiring Davante Adams and ending Haason Reddick’s holdout.

Johnson also reportedly blocked Douglas from extending edge rusher Bryce Huff’s contract. Huff signed with Philadelphia in free agency.

Many factors go into a team missing the playoffs 13 consecutive years — soon to be 14 — but it usually starts at the top.

Rodgers' regression

Rodgers is not the same quarterback. The mobility is gone. He’s not throwing the ball down the field. He’s missing receivers often. Age and last year’s torn Achilles have taken its toll on Rodgers, who will be 41 in less than two weeks.

A major Jets’ error, though, was believing that Rodgers could cover for whatever issues they had, from protection to coaching to play calling. Maybe a young, healthy Rodgers would have.

If anything, Rodgers should have been benched after the loss to Minnesota in London when he threw three interceptions and was bent in half. The Jets should have given Rodgers a couple of weeks to get right. Instead, Saleh was fired.

Moreover, the Jets gave Rodgers too much power from the beginning. They hired his favorite coach (Nathaniel Hackett) and signed two close friends (Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb) last season. The Packers 2.0 failed miserably.

Things might have gone differently if Rodgers didn’t get hurt and was the Rodgers of old instead of an old Rodgers.

Roster mismanagement

Johnson’s meddling notwithstanding, roster building falls on Douglas. There were clear mistakes and miscalculations.

The Reddick situation was one for sure. Douglas never should have traded for Reddick without a new contract in place. He held out until Oct. 21.

Reddick’s acquisition led to the Jets trading important player and locker room presence John Franklin-Myers. Losing Huff, Franklin-Myers and Quinton Jefferson from last year’s line weakened the defense, especially with Reddick refusing to show up.

It got worse in Week 2. Jermaine Johnson tore his Achilles tendon, leaving Will McDonald and Micheal Clemons as the starting edge rushers. They were going to be in the D-line rotation, but not play such important roles.

Sticking with Greg Zuerlein over Austin Seibert, who was the better kicker in camp and the preseason, proved costly.

Seibert has made 92.6% of his field-goals attempts and all of his extra-point tries with Washington. Zuerlein missed a game-winning field goal against Denver, two more in a three-point loss to Buffalo and missed a field goal and extra point in a three-point defeat at New England.

The Jets have had four different kickers in the last four games.

Coaching matters

The Jets have underachieved. Saleh is a great defensive coach but not a head coach. Still, he should have been allowed to finish the season. The defense hasn’t been the same since Saleh was let go.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was thrust into a role he’s never had — having to oversee the entire team and still run the defense as defensive coordinator. It’s been a mess.

The Jets were No. 2 in total defense and fifth in points allowed through the first five games. They’re 27th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense in the last six games. They allowed last-minute game-winning touchdown drives in two of the last four games.

Injured linebacker and captain C.J. Mosley and his ability to call and change the defense based on what he’s seeing have been missed, too.

Hiring Hackett as offensive coordinator — the precursor to getting Rodgers — was a major misstep by Saleh and the Jets.

Saleh recognized that after last year and tried to hire someone (Arthur Smith, Kliff Kingbury among others) to be the de-facto offensive coordinator over Hackett just without the title. They couldn’t fire Hackett — Rodgers loves him.

Hackett was stripped of his play-calling duties after Week 5. The Jets averaged 18.6 points under Hackett. The Jets are scoring 18.5 points under his replacement Todd Downing.

It turns out Johnson was way off when he said quarterback was “the missing piece” before the Jets acquired Rodgers. They need much more than that, starting with a complete culture change.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.