The New York Jets have made a huge decision just five games into the 2024 season, with the team firing head coach Robert Saleh. And, with that move, one can't help but wonder if quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a part in it — and in more ways than one.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Saleh has been relieved of his duties after posting a 20-36 record over three-plus seasons at the helm, and a 2-3 record over New York's first five games of 2024. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is taking over as interim head coach, the team confirmed.
Rodgers isn't exactly blameless in New York's slow start. After all, he hasn't played at the Hall-of-Fame level we've seen from him during his career. Rodgers has a 60% completion rate and has thrown for 1,093 yards, and seven touchdowns to four interceptions.
Despite that, Rodgers is still the best quarterback the Jets have had in franchise history given his track record, and that means he's got a ton of sway with the organization. Adding to that, Rodgers is no stranger to imposing his will, something he did with the Green Bay Packers often.
A big issue for Saleh was the seeming disconnect he had with Rodgers. It seemed the pair didn't have a good relationship, something that was clear after Saleh and Rodgers had an awkward exchange in Week 3.
Massive Week 6 news. The QB and head coach did not seem to be on the same page. https://t.co/nkVkZ9Gv0C
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 8, 2024
Following a touchdown, Saleh went to embrace Rodgers on the sideline before he was pushed away by the quarterback. Rodgers appeared none-too-happy with Saleh during the exchange, which led to questions about their relationship.
who reads lips pic.twitter.com/HDoxWuntY6
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 20, 2024
Rodgers tried to downplay the sideline interaction with Saleh, saying he had a "great" relationship with his now-former head coach.
"Rob (Saleh) and I have a great relationship; we have since day one when I got here," he said on The Pat McAfee Show just one week before Saleh was given the boot. "We have text message conversations, threads that we're in, conversations about a number of different topics outside of football. We have a good friendship."
If it was indeed the case that Saleh and Rodgers had a strained relationship, it's not outlandish to think the star quarterback played a role in the Jets letting Saleh go. At the very least, Rodgers' play on the field certainly didn't help.
The Jets have every intention of keeping Rodgers happy, and if firing Saleh was going to help accomplish that, New York wasn't going to hesitate to do it, especially given the disappointing start to the season.
