The New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, October 8.
Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer spoke with Saleh shortly after the news went public.
“Just talked to Robert Saleh who said [he] was blindsided by Woody Johnson walking to his office and letting him go. Certainly disappointed he wasn’t going to be given the opportunity to get things going with what he said is a very good roster,” Glazer revealed.
Saleh Is Taking a Break From Football for the Rest of the 2024 Season
NFL Insider Michael Silver revealed that Saleh “plans to regroup, go on vacation with his family, and prepare for the next hiring cycle, when he should be in demand as a defensive coordinator. He has no plans to join anyone’s staff during the 2024 season, should an opportunity arise…”
Saleh’s resume as an NFL head coach left much to be desired. Of coaches that lasted at least one NFL season with the Jets, Saleh had the third-worst winning percentage all-time in franchise history (.357).
The only two coaches in franchise history who were worse are Rich Kotite (.125) and Adam Gase (.281).
We can argue whether firing a head coach near the beginning of the season is going to make a tangible difference in the end result. However, what we can’t argue about is whether Saleh was a good head coach. The results speak for themselves.
Nathaniel Hackett Isn’t Going Anywhere…
So far the only head to roll at 1 Jets Drive is Saleh’s.
NFL Insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared on social media that the team does not plan on firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
NFL Insider and Good Morning Football co-host Peter Schrager confirmed that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was being promoted to interim head coach for the rest of the season.
“Some facts here, I was told [Aaron] Rodgers did not have a significant role in the firing of Robert Saleh which a lot of people had already indicated online. Hackett does keep his job as offensive coordinator. Todd Downing keeps his job in that offensive room. Joe Douglas keeps his job. It is Saleh who is going to take the pain here after a 2-3 start,” Schrager explained.
“The resounding sentiment I’ve heard from Jets players post-Robert Saleh firing: How does this fix the offense,” SNY’s Connor Hughes revealed on social media.
NFL Insider Albert Breer shared on social media that, “In early 2023, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan called the Jets to explore prying Jeff Ulbrich away to replace DeMeco Ryans—who was off to Houston—as his DC. The Jets said no, but Shanahan’s interest in Ulbrich got Woody Johnson’s attention. Now, Ulbrich is Woody’s HC.”
Ulbrich will now get a chance to be a head coach albeit in interim status. This is an incredibly talented roster that is manned by a Hall of Fame QB.
Often times a change in head coach results in a spark. The Jets better hope so because a massive game is on the horizon.
Gang Green will host the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 on Monday Night Football with AFC East supremacy on the line.
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