Robert Saleh has spoken out after his shock firing as New York Jets head coach on Tuesday.
Saleh was relieved of his duties by Jets owner Woody Johnson two days on from the team’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London, which followed a dismal home defeat to the Denver Broncos on September 29.
Despite still being just one win away from top spot in the AFC East, Johnson confirmed on Tuesday that the Lebanese-American is no longer in charge, with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich instead elevated to interim head coach.
It marks the first time the American businessman has fired a coach mid-season in his 25 years as owner.
Saleh departs the Jets with a miserable 20-36 record, having failed to reach the playoffs in each of his three full seasons as head coach. His team were 2-3 through five games this year.
Robert Saleh has broken his silence after his shock firing as New York Jets head coach
And one day on from his firing, he paid tribute to the Jets organization as a whole while wishing them luck for the rest of the season.
Saleh, who sparked controversy by wearing a Lebanon flag during Sunday’s loss to the Vikings, said in a statement, via Adam Schefter: ‘To the Jets Organization, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many incredible people. I will always be appreciative of the love and support from everyone at 1 Jets Drive.
‘To all of the players, I truly love and appreciate every single one of you. The character of the men in the locker room made coaching you guys the ultimate privilege. Through all the ups and downs, each and every one of you showed up everyday and attacked every moment.
‘To my fellow coaches and staff, it has been an honor to work with all of you. Every one of you were “all in” and made sacrifices for one another that will never be forgotten. I wish you all the very best of luck for the remainder of the season.
‘To the most passionate fan base in the NFL, thank you for embracing my family. It has been a pleasure calling New York our home and we will forever appreciate all of the memories that were created here. With Love and Regard, All Gas No Brake!!!’
Prior to his dismissal, Saleh’s relationship with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers had been under the microscope amid the Jets’ offensive struggles.
Saleh paid tribute to the Jets organization while wishing them luck for the rest of the season
His relationship with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been under the microscope this year
There were high hopes for the Jets in 2024 with Rodgers back to full fitness, following the season-ending Achilles injury he suffered four snaps into his highly-anticipated debut last term.
Yet even with the four-time MVP available, Saleh’s team struggled offensively in the first five games of the campaign, including in a disastrous 10-9 home loss to the Broncos.
And while Sunday’s shortcoming against the 5-0 Vikings was by no means as humiliating, Johnson ultimately decided that Saleh is not the right man to take his team forward.
Many are now pointing the finger at Rodgers, who threw three interceptions in the defeat to Minnesota, for contributing to the head coach’s shock firing one month into the new season. ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe ripped into the 40-year-old on Tuesday, calling him a ‘bad man’ while suggesting he was responsible for Saleh’s exit.
According to former NFL insider Michele Tafoya, the Jets may well have parted company with Saleh in order to protect their star quarterback.
‘See, it’s always the coach that goes first because you can’t fire an entire roster, so you go after the head coach,’ Tafoya said on Outkick’s Don’t @ Me With Dan Dakich podcast.
Many are pointing the finger at Rodgers after Saleh was dismissed as head coach this week
The quarterback threw three interceptions in Sunday’s defeat to the Minnesota Vikings
‘Maybe you go after a coordinator, but I am surprised by this. That’s very early in the season to make that decision.
‘I know there are a number of quarterbacks who are very influential in what goes on in the front office. I would say maybe Aaron might be one of those guys.
‘But I was under the impression that they got along, 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 shift blame. I don’t know, this is fascinating to me.’
Saleh and Rodgers appeared to have a heated moment on the sidelines during last month’s comfortable home win over the New England Patriots, only for the quarterback to play down the incident after the game.
It has also emerged that Saleh was planning to fire offensive coordinator and long-time Rodgers favorite Nathaniel Hackett before his own departure this week.
Saleh reportedly planned to axe OC and Rodgers-favorite Nathaniel Hackett before his firing
Hackett’s offense mustered only nine points in the recent defeat to Denver – the same team that fired him after a 4-11 start in 2022.
He and Rodgers had previously worked together in Green Bay as the decorated quarterback won his third and fourth league MVP awards. But after Rodgers missed all but one offensive series due to injury in 2023, the two have failed to rekindle their success with the Jets in 2024.
Although he looked like his former self against the lowly Patriots in Week 3, Rodgers struggled in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers and during the team’s ongoing two-game losing skid.
The worst came on Sunday in London, where he was picked off three times by the Vikings and appeared to aggravate his surgically repaired right ankle.
He is still expected to play Monday against the Buffalo Bills, when defensive coordinator Ulbrich will make his debut as interim head coach.
