The New York Jets sent shockwaves across the NFL after firing head coach Robert Saleh just five games into the season – with fans and pundits alike speculating that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers might’ve had a role in his ousting.
On Tuesday, team owner Woody Johnson announced that Saleh was relieved of his duties following three and a half years with the Jets. In his place, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was promoted to assume the role of interim coach.
Despite entering this year with Super Bowl aspirations, the Jets have hardly lived up to the sky-high expectations placed on their shoulders. On the heels of two gut-wrenching losses and a 2-3 record to begin the year, Johnson felt as though a change was needed in leadership to help rejuvenate the locker room.
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Following a disappointing 2023 campaign in which Rodgers lasted all of four snaps before tearing his Achilles, the Jets expected to find greater success on offense with the four-time MVP back to full strength. That hasn’t been the case, however, with several of the same issues from a year prior continuing to plague OC Nathaniel Hackett’s unit.
Since coming to the Big Apple from the Cheese State, Rodgers’ opinion has heavily influenced several of the Jets’ acquisitions. Prior to the 2023 season, New York acquired three of his former Packers teammates – wide receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard and tackle Billy Turner – as well as his old coach Hackett.
Now, many across the league have begun to theorize that Rodgers could’ve had a say in Saleh’s firing. While appearing on OutKick.com’s ‘Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich,’ former NBC Sports sideline reporter Michele Tafoya said: “I know that there are a number of quarterbacks who are very influential in what goes on in the front office.
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Robert Saleh and Aaron Rodgers refuted claims that they were on bad terms prior to the former’s ousting (
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“I would say maybe Aaron might be one of those guys. But I was under the impression that they got along and that Aaron is very close to the offensive coordinator in New York.
“This is a strange one to me. But the Jets are looking to shake things up. Obviously, this has been an incredibly disappointing start for the entire team. A lot of people want to point the finger at Aaron. Maybe this is a way to try to shift blame. I don’t know. This is fascinating to me.”
The connection – or lack thereof – between Saleh and Rodgers has been a topic of fierce discussion in recent weeks. Yet the pair repeatedly refuted rumors that they were not on good terms, with the latter saying as recently as last week: “We’re really good friends.
“We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day, I’m in his office talking about things, talking about the energy of the team, the focus of the team, what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out. So we’ve got a great relationship.”
Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Johnson asserted that he made the ultimate decision to let go Saleh. While the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom spoke with Rodgers on Monday night, he claimed they did not specifically discuss the head coach during their conversation.
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