The New York Jets have been at the center of many NFL conversations in recent days. Of course, this is because they decided to fire former head coach Robert Saleh following New York’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as the interim head coach.
Soon after the news of Saleh’s firing broke, Jets owner Woody Johnson addressed the media, stating the decision to fire the head coach was his and his alone. He admitted that he did consult general manager Joe Douglas, but that the final decision was made by himself.
No one, not even four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, influenced his decision.
Many Fans Blamed New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers for Robert Saleh Getting Fired
According to multiple reports, Rodgers and Johnson talked on the phone Monday night, hours before the Jets owner would fire his head coach. Both parties, though, deny that they talked about Saleh and his job status. Instead, they discussed the game against the Vikings, how disappointed Rodgers was in his performance (he threw three interceptions), and he could play better going forward.
Around the time that Saleh’s firing was announced, it was also reported that the former Jets head coach was planning on taking away offensive play-calling duties from Nathaniel Hackett, the offensive coordinator New York hired to help lure Rodgers to their team when the Green Bay Packers announced they were looking to trade the future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Based on these reports, many fans and NFL analysts assumed that Rodgers caught wind of the plan to demote Hackett and asked Johnson to fire Saleh.
Of course, Rodgers denies this. Yesterday on the Pat McAfee Show, he said, “I resent any of those accusations, because they are patently false. It’s interesting, the amount of power that people think I have, which I don’t.”
New York Jets Interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich Has Demoted Nathaniel Hackett
This morning, Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich informed the New York media that Hackett will in fact be losing his play-calling duties, starting in Week Six against the Buffalo Bill. Passing game coordinator Todd Downing will be calling the plays from now on:
#Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich announces that passing game coordinator and QBs coach Todd Downing is the new offensive play-caller.
Meanwhile, Ulbrich will call plays for the defense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2024
Ulbrich also told reporters that Rodgers “understood” and was “supportive” of the decision to give play-calling duties to Downing.
It will be very interesting to see if these changes on offense will spark change on the field. New York’s offense has been sluggish and far from what fans were promised when they spent so many resources on that side of the ball during the offseason.
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