Executives and coaches react to Jets firing Robert Saleh: ‘It doesn’t seem well thought out’
The New York Jets’ decision to fire coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday raised many eyebrows across the NFL.
The prevailing questions being asked by rival coaches and executives: What is the true logic behind the decision and what is the Jets’ plan in both the short and long term?
Team owner Woody Johnson took full responsibility for the decision to fire Saleh, saying the move was necessary to boost a team that was underperforming with a 2–3 record. On the surface, this strategy has merit, but others in the league were skeptical.
“Win Monday (at home against the Buffalo Bills) and you’ll be in first place in the AFC East,” said one senior executive, who, like the other sources in this story, was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly. . “(The dismissal) seems premature.”
The primetime showdown with the Bills could have set the tone for the rest of the season. And that was still possible.
But now the Jets have to deal with distractions.
“This team is good enough to win the division,” said another executive. “But now you’re not even focusing on Buffalo because the coach just got fired. It just doesn’t seem well thought out.”
GO DEEPER
2024 NFL Playoff Projections: Jets fire Saleh as playoff hopes fade
Ten executives and coaches from other teams were interviewed by The Athletics about the decision to fire Saleh. None of the ten thought Saleh deserved to be fired so quickly, putting the blame mainly on Johnson for making a rash decision.
“Five games into his first (real) season with Aaron Rodgers seems a bit premature to me,” said a third executive.
Before the regular competition, The Athletics surveyed 21 coaches and executives to get a prediction of which teams would underperform in 2024. The Jets finished in a tie for third place with five votes. The panelists cited an aging Rodgers dealing with a torn Achilles tendon, an offensive system that lacked creativity in 2023 and numerous internal distractions over the past year as reasons for the vote.
Because of those factors, the 2-3 start was not shocking. Saleh wasn’t on the hot seat either. But at this early point, one thing leading to another felt impulsive.
“I was definitely a little surprised by the timing of it,” one assistant coach said. “It was probably inevitable, but it’s more that the Jets couldn’t get out of their own way. I’m not sure what the shooting does now, but I guess we’ll see.”
Once again Saleh was under pressure to achieve better results this season. That part was never really debatable. But the Jets lost to the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the opener and then to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday. A week earlier, the 10-9 loss at home to the Denver Broncos could be painted as the only real misstep in this season’s win-loss column. Their best win, combined with Rodgers’ big performance, came in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, who appear to be competing for the No. 1 draft pick.
“The pressure was on (Saleh),” said another assistant coach. “It looked like they were going to win the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, and then (Saleh was fired) had a couple of bad games.”
Jets players and coaches felt like the atmosphere was off in recent days — and there was a lot of internal frustration over a lack of accountability over the ongoing issues on offense, according to sources.
Players and coaches have had concerns about Nathaniel Hackett…
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 8, 2024
Dive deeper and the defense laid an egg against the Niners. Rodgers also noted after that game that the Jets were not prepared to play championship football after such a humiliating loss. The offense then looked dismal in a tight Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Jets came out flat in their last two games against the Broncos and Vikings. It’s reasonable to think a change in leadership could spark some momentum for the Jets.
But then again, was this the right time to look for such a shock? Bills quarterback Josh Allen has thrown five interceptions in consecutive losses to the Jets in the Meadowlands. The Jets defense – led by defensive coordinator/interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich – has generally performed well during Saleh’s three-plus seasons in office, but the challenge now will be to answer the bell against the Bills with a new voice who is in charge.
GO DEEPER
Who is Jeff Ulbrich? What you need to know about the Jets interim coach following the firing of Robert Saleh
Another director said he wasn’t sure what the shooting really yields since the defense and offense remain the same. “Either something happened behind the scenes, or (it was) just a move to take a step and hope something would change,” he said.
If the Jets don’t rebound against the Bills on Monday, the distractions could theoretically become even greater in a short week before road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Patriots. While midseason coaching layoffs sometimes generate that missing spark, they also invite the possibility of the situation spiraling further out of control.
“Now they’re all coaching for life,” said one director. “And at some point they will focus on finding their next job.”
And then there’s the elephant in the room.
Johnson said he spoke with Rodgers on Monday night, but Rodgers had no input on the decision to fire Saleh. However, people around the league questioned the state of Saleh and Rodgers’ relationship as the player-coach dynamic was the subject of questions during recent press conferences. The organization has been fully committed to maximizing its potential and maximizing Rodgers’ comfort at Florham Park during his abbreviated tenure, including involving many of the quarterback’s allies.
GO DEEPER
Is Aaron Rodgers too good for the Jets?
With every step like this, the long-term strategy must also be considered. Johnson will hire his eighth full-time head coach since taking ownership of the team in 2000. Joe Douglas, the fifth general manager in the same period, must also be wondering about his fate, although he may take solace in the fact that he put together the roster that Johnson just called the most talented of his tenure.
The next coach will take over a promising roster with talent on both sides of the ball, including a big draw with Rodgers, even as he turns 41 in December. But that coach will also be joining an organization that has been pushing the play since the 2010 postseason -offs no longer achieved. It has fewer playoff wins (six) than head coaches during Johnson’s stewardship.
“I don’t know how it gets better,” said one director.
“The product they put on the field does NOT look like a team that has given up or a team that is tuning out its head coach.”
On the latest episode of The Athletic Football Show, @robertmays reflects on Robert Saleh’s surprising firing and the consequences for the Jets.
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) October 9, 2024
By becoming the first team to fire its head coach during the 2024 season, the Jets are hoping that such a dramatic and unpopular task was a necessary step toward immediate improvement.
But if it doesn’t work, the Jets will once again be left with more questions than answers.
Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.
To register
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
