Jets QB Aaron Rodgers calls reports that he got Robert Saleh fired 'ridiculous'

Antwan Staley, New York Daily News on Oct 9, 2024

Published in Football

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NEW YORK — From the moment the Jets fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday, many fans and media members alike have speculated that Aaron Rodgers played a significant role in owner Woody Johnson’s decision.

A day later, Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” to not only support Saleh but also set the record straight.

“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not gonna spend more than one sentence in response to it,” Rodgers said. “And that is that I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false. It’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t.

“I love Robert.”

The Jets fired Saleh, 45, following a 2-3 record and back-to-back losses to the Broncos and the Vikings. During his three-plus seasons with the franchise, Saleh had a 20-36 record and zero playoff appearances.

Johnson promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim coach before Monday’s critical game against the Bills (3-2), who are currently in first place in the AFC East. Despite its recent struggles, Gang Green is just one game out of first place in the division.

There’s speculation Rodgers was the driving force behind Saleh’s firing because of his relationship with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Because of their putrid offense, which ranks 27th in yards (286.6) and 24th in points (18.6), Saleh was considering demoting Hackett and making passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Downing the Jets’ offensive play-caller for the rest of the season, according to sources.

Downing has had previous offensive coordinator experience with the Raiders (2017) and the Titans (2021-22) before joining the Jets staff in 2023.

However, that change never occurred because Johnson decided to fire Saleh instead. Ulbrich could still decide to demote Hackett as the Jets’ play-caller, but no decision has been made at this time.

Rodgers said he spoke to Johnson Monday night following the Jets’ 23-17 loss to the Vikings. However, the two didn’t discuss Saleh’s status with the team.

“We had a short conversation,” Rodgers said. “I appreciated the call. It was a genuine call. He just asked me how I was doing. Obviously, I got rolled up on in the game, my ankle got pretty banged up, so he was just calling and asking how I was doing.

“We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, that I’m gonna play better and that we’re gonna get this thing turned around. And then, we hung up. At that point, Woody has no obligation to let me know what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential.”

Rodgers’ relationship with Saleh has been under the microscope since the four-time NFL MVP skipped mandatory minicamp in June to go on vacation to Egypt. The Jets fined Rodgers for his “unexcused” absence, as Saleh called it at the time.

Then, during the Jets’ Week 3 victory against the Patriots, Rodgers pushed Saleh away after it appeared the coach was trying to hug him. The two downplayed the situation after the game.

The following week, Saleh said Rodgers’ cadence may have caused five false start penalties during the Jets’ 10-9 loss to the Broncos.

“I love Coach Saleh,” Rodgers said. “We have a very solid relationship. We have since I met him in 2021, had a nice conversation when they came and visited [The Packers] for joint practices. He was a big reason why I came to the Jets. Had a relationship with Coach Hackett obviously and I really liked Coach Saleh.

“It was just a reminder yesterday how tough the business is.”

Rodgers, like many of the Jets players, found out about Saleh’s firing through social media or text messages. After the move was made, Johnson met with the Jets’ leadership council, which includes Rodgers, tight end Tyler Conklin, linebacker C.J. Mosley, punter Thomas Morstead and right tackle Morgan Moses.

“It’s a production business and as a group we haven’t been producing,” Conklin said. “Coach Saleh had to take the fall for that, and that affects not just him but his family and so many people around him.

“You have a heavy heart for him. Time is not waiting for anyone, we gotta get back on track and we got a game on Monday night. It’s time to get ready to play again.”

Following the leadership council meeting, there was a player-only meeting and a team meeting with Ulbrich. Mosley said, like many of the players in the Jets building, he was shocked when he found out the Jets had fired Saleh.

“The main thing that I heard a lot yesterday was accountability,” Mosley said. ” I think that’s what we have to keep in mind going forward. We all have to be accountable every single day that we come to the building, every single day that we wake up and every decision that’s made within our organization, especially with our team, we all have to take some type of accountability.

“I think this is was definitely a wake-up call for a lot of people. But at the end of the day we all have to take some type of accountability on how we cannot let this stop us for achieving our goal.”