After a 2-3 start in his fourth year as head coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh was fired by the team. Saleh finished his Jets tenure going 20-36 in 56 games as the head coach, and while the Jets have not enjoyed much success during Saleh’s run (as was the case for many years prior), the firing was rather surprising. A lot of speculation has instantly circled into what led to the decision and what is next, and there are several things to take a closer look at.

Aaron Rodgers’ potential involvement

This section is not intending to point fingers with certainty, as we do not know for sure right now, but many can’t help but think that quarterback Aaron Rodgers had some level of influence on this move. Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers for four years prior to his first head coaching gig in New York, helped reshape and improve the Jets defense over his time in New York. Not to mention, per ESPN, the Jets rank fifth in the NFL in expected points allowed (EPA), which certainly has something to do with their defensive-minded head coach. Aaron Rodgers, who has been struggling along with the rest of the offense, has had roster/personnel influence since arriving in New York not long ago. Since signing the four-time league MVP in 2023, the Jets hired his former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, also adding wide receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard who played with Rodgers on the Green Bay Packers.

Saleh also endured his fair share of misfortune as head coach of the Jets, with Aaron Rodgers going down in the first quarter of his first game as quarterback, turning the team back to Zach Wilson. At one point in 2023, Saleh had the Jets at 7-5, before turnovers and poor play from Zach Wilson and the offense would hurt the team and effectively end the season early. Saleh had his share of mistakes during his tenure with the Jets, but with the offense struggling as much as it has, some may point to this firing as a “scapegoat” for Rodgers and owner Woody Johnson at this point in the season.

The BizARRE Timing

The New York Jets currently sit at 2-3, just one game behind the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East. While the Bills have been one of the better teams in the AFC for years, they just lost two straight after starting 3-0 and their offseason losses are slowly being missed. The Miami Dolphins have lost Tua Tagovailoa to injury and have been struggling themselves, along with the New England Patriots who just have one of the weakest rosters all together. There was certainly room for the Jets to make a run to secure the top spot in their struggling division, and a firing like this is not only shocking to the locker room but may possibly catch them off guard.

Tom Brady’s first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at age 43 saw a 3-2 start, then 7-5. The good portion of the season saw the team struggle on offense despite high expectations with the arrival of a future Hall-of-Famer at quarterback (despite the age) - yet, they figured it out. The Buccaneers continued to struggle and ended up turning things around without firing anyone and winning the Super Bowl, a result of patience. Tampa had their own Buffalo Bills as well that year, in the form of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. This is all brought up because similarly, despite being 40, the Jets were poised for a similar story with the signing of Aaron Rodgers, especially in a year back from injury. Instead, management does not let things play out and while maybe the Jets can win consistently at some point in the season, they may slip out of the division crown race with Buffalo. If the Jets continue to struggle, Saleh will not be there to point fingers at.

New York Jets’ Poor Leadership

This is not about any of the players or coaches, it is about owner Woody Johnson, General Manager Joe Douglas, and the New York Jets’ front office. Joe Douglas has been the team’s general manager since 2019, and while the Jets have been able to get some quality young talent over the years, it has not translated into wins. Moves like picking Zach Wilson number two overall in 2021, arguably the worst first round quarterback of five have hurt the team for years. Douglas has made every move to cater to his new 40-year old quarterback, and the production on offense has been hard to watch at times.

Ultimately, the Robert Saleh era in New York is another example of the failure of Woody Johnson. Johnson has owned the team since 2000, and since then they have only six playoff victories. Guys have come to the team with dissapointing stints and have seen success post-New York Jets including Todd Bowles, former head coach who is on a winning team in Tampa Bay as well as Sam Darnold who has seemed to have had his potential unlocked during his current run with the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings. The Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez teams and the Ryan Fitzpatrick, or “Fitzmagic” days were very short runs of success, as any time light seems to be in sight something messes it up and the run is short-lived. Johnson has not shown ability to lead the New York Jets at the top and has failed to put the whole franchise in position to function successfully. The only difference this year is that the reset button was pressed midseason rather than the end. Reports claim that Robert Saleh was dismissed out of the team’s facility by security without being allowed the chance to address the players and staff - if this classless act indeed happen, it is just another huge stain on the resume of Woody Johnson as owner of the Jets.

No Coach Is Safe

Loyalty from between players or coaches and an organization in professional sports is almost always nonexistent. At the end of the day, no one’s job is safe in the NFL, but Rob Saleh’s firing showed that no one’s job is safe in the NFL in the moment too, not just the long term. The Jets fired him at a time where they were only one game behind the division, and there are certainly other coaches right now who have been doing worse with better than Saleh. Several coaches are on the hot seat right now, and if Saleh was let go so early and Woody Johnson refused to even wait out one season in the Rodgers-Saleh era, then any coach can be let go at anytime, whether it is a smart move or not.