The New York Jets have had a rough start to the 2024 season, and this has resulted in head coach Robert Saleh being fired. Despite all of the rumors, quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he is not the one to blame, claiming he had no influence over this move made by owner Woody Johnson and the front office.
Furthermore, while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Wednesday morning, Rodgers added that he had great relationship with Saleh. In fact, the Jets QB had nothing but good things to say about his now former coach, even citing that he was a big reason why he joined the team prior to the 2023 season.
"I resent these reports that I got Saleh fired, they are false," Rodgers said.
Yesterday was a reminder of how tough this business can be..
I love Coach Saleh and we have a very solid relationship..
We have since I met him in 2021 and he was a big reason why I came to the Jets" @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/5f5bDTs5HP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 9, 2024
"It's interesting the amount of power people think I have," Rodgers told McAfee and former Green Bay Packers teammate A.J. Hawk.
With this in mind, not everyone is buying it, especially considering the timing revolving around the firing of Saleh, which happened "roughly five minutes" after he made the decision to take the play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (per SNY TV).
And for those who don't know Rodgers and Hackett go way back, as they were also paired together in Green Bay, and their potential reunion was part of the reason how the Jets were able to lure the 4x MVP QB to New York.
All in all, Rodgers says the accusations are false and denies having anything to do with Saleh losing his job, but many couldn't help but point out the video clips of the two having some awkward moments on the sideline.
There were people that tried to say this was just a “misunderstanding”
Rodgers clearly didn’t like Saleh https://t.co/WrbNtAc9Wz pic.twitter.com/Hmp28haRQm
— Joey (@DJLeMVP) October 8, 2024
Ultimately, a move had to be made as the Jets are sitting at 2-3 and have especially struggled to get things going on offense, ranking dead last in the league in rushing yards (402 yards/80 ypg).
That is to say, the Jets have certainly underperformed their preseason expectations, coming off of two losses in a row, that include lackluster performances vs. the Denver Broncos (10-9 loss) at home and Minnesota Vikings (23-17 loss) in London.
Notably, Saleh's accumulative overall record since taking over the head coaching job prior to the 2021 season, includes 20 wins and 36 losses.
According to a statement put out by owner Johnson, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been announced as the interim head coach with the Jets preparing to turn things around starting with their upcoming Monday Night Football matchup when they host the Buffalo Bills on October 14 (8:15 pm ET) at MetLife Stadium.
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