The biggest story in the NFL on Tuesday was the New York Jets firing their head coach, Robert Saleh, following their 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. According to reports, Saleh showed up for work on Tuesday, was fired by owner Woody Johnson, and escorted out of the building without being given the chance to address the players and other coaches.
Those same reports state that Saleh was let go before he was able to fire offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. This tidbit of information led many to believe that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had something to do with the decision.
However, one NFL insider says that this may not be the case at all.
NFL Insider Says New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Was Blindsided by Robert Saleh Firing
As mentioned, there are many fans that believe that Rodgers was instrumental in Saleh’s firing. There are multiple reasons for this.
First, the media has painted the relationship between Rodgers and Saleh as strained. There have been numerous instances that support this being the case. The former Jets head coach would not excuse his star quarterback from mandatory minicamp for his previously planned trip to Egypt. The fine that came with the unexcused absence was substantial.
Second, Rodgers and Saleh had two very different ideas of how to handle the plethora of false start penalties committed by the offensive line two weeks ago. Saleh said Rodgers probably should tone down his cadence a bit and stop trying to draw the defense offside. Rodgers said it would be better to simply hold the linemen accountable.
This all being said, NFL insider Jordan Schultz posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the four-time NFL MVP was blindsided by Johnson’s decision to fire his head coach:
Sources: #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers was “blindsided” by the news today that HC Robert Saleh was fired. He came into the facility today with no knowledge the firing was about to happen, but sources say he did meet with ownership after the fact.
Woody Johnson made the decision on his… pic.twitter.com/9VLqgCtNHI
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 8, 2024
As Schultz notes, Rodgers was unaware of the decision and met with ownership after the fact. It reiterates what Johnson said regarding the firing during his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, that the decision was his and his alone.
Rodgers’ regular segment on the Pat McAfee Show was moved to Wednesday in light of Saleh’s dismissal. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say about it at that point.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Previously Said He Had a Great Relationship with Robert Saleh
It seems as if there has been a great deal written and spoken regarding the relationship between Rodgers and Saleh, and very little of it is positive. Many believed that the future Pro Football Hall of Famer did not work well with his defensive-minded head coach.
A couple of weeks ago, though, Rodgers had this to say about his relationship with his [now former] head coach:
“I think there’s some driving force trying to put a wedge [from] outside the facility between Robert and I. We’re really good friends. We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day in his office talking about things and talking about the energy of the team, 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.”
Based on this, one can certainly understand why Rodgers was shocked by the decision to let Saleh go. This is the second time in his career that his team has fired a head coach midseason, the first instance being when the Green Bay Packers fired Mike McCarthy with four games remaining in the 2018 NFL season.
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