Report: Aaron Rodgers ‘blindsided’ by Jets decision to fire coach Robert Saleh

The first coach firing of the 2024 NFL season came fast, and for someone many suspected was on a hot seat: New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. The news, which came on Tuesday morning, was a surprise to many, though.

Include Jets franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers in that group. And though the quarterback appears to have more sway and say than most in personnel decisions, he was caught off guard by the move on Tuesday morning, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Rodgers was “blindsided” by the firing, Schultz reported on Tuesday evening, adding that the quarterback came to the facility without knowing Saleh was going to be fired.

That tidbit came after it was reported that Rodgers and Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke on Monday night. Johnson made the decision to fire Saleh without consulting Rodgers, according to Schultz. Rodgers also apparently met with ownership after Saleh was fired on Tuesday, Schultz reported.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter offered a similar accounting of what happened with respect to Rodgers and the decision on Tuesday.

“I don’t know that Aaron Rodgers was involved in it and I don’t know that they consulted with him before they made the decision,” Schefter said on First Take. “I think ultimately the owner makes the call that he believes is best, and as you said, I can’t remember the last time they fired a coach in season. It certainly hasn’t been in recent history.”

The last time the Jets made an in-season coaching change was in 1976 when Lou Holtz resigned before the team’s final game of the season. Further exaggerating the strange timing of Saleh’s recent firing in a choice that Schefter believes was not the decision of Rodgers or any other players.

“But I just come back to this, I can’t say that they went to the players and told the players, or they spoke to Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Rogers said, ‘I want a new head coach.’ I believe that those two men did get along well,” Schefter said. “I believe there was a healthy respect there, despite the fact that people have been analyzing the relationship the last couple of weeks since the sideline hugs and whatever has happened or not happened.”

And for his part, Johnson also released a statement on the change in leadership for the Jets.

“This morning, I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets,” Johnson’s statement said. “I thanked for him for his hard work these past three-and-a-half years and wished him and his family well moving forward. This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.

“Jeff Ulbrich will serve as our Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season. He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”