Robert Saleh (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Robert Saleh had a heartfelt message for the New York Jets organization, following his unexpected firing on Tuesday.
Two days after the Jets lost 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings in London, Robert Saleh was relieved of his duties as head coach. Jeff Ulbrich, who had been Saleh’s defensive coordinator with the Jets since 2021, was named the interim head coach.
Though his firing was stunning and widely panned by countless fans and critics (many believe quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a hand in it), Saleh kept it classy and wholesome with his goodbye message to the organization.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Robert Saleh shared the following statement one day following his split from the Jets:
“To the Jets Organization, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many incredible people. I will always be appreciative of the love and support from everyone at 1 Jets Drive.
To all of the players, I truly love and appreciate every single one of you. The character of the men in the locker room made coaching you guys the ultimate privilege. Through all the ups and downs, each and every one of you showed up everyday and attacked every moment.
To my fellow coaches and staff, it has been an honor to work with all of you. Every one of you were “all in” and made sacrifices for one another that will never be forgotten. I wish you all the very best of luck for the remainder of the season.
To the most passionate fan base in the NFL, thank you for embracing my family. It has been a pleasure calling New York our home and we will forever appreciate all of the memories that were created here. With Love and Regard, All Gas No Brake!!!”
Saleh finishes with a record of 20-36-0 as head coach of the Jets. After going 4-13 in his first year, Saleh guided the team to consecutive 7-10 finishes, which is impressive considering the quarterback play.
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His firing was largely surprising because teams with Super Bowl aspirations hardly fire a coach this early in the year. Coaches are usually only fired in the middle of the season if their team is near the bottom of the standings and out of the playoff race.
It’s also easy to theorize that Rodgers was a key factor in Saleh’s firing. Their relationship never seemed that strong to begin with, and the Jets catered to the four-time MVP by signing plenty of former Green Bay Packers and keeping Nathaniel Hackett on as the offensive coordinator.
Robert Saleh Won’t Be Out Of Coaching For Long
His tenure with the Jets didn’t culminate in any winning seasons, but Saleh lived up to his reputation as a defensive mastermind. He turned New York’s D into one of football’s best, a clear reminder that he wasn’t a product of the Kyle Shanahan coaching system.
If he’s not hired by another team this season, expect Saleh to be a hot defensive coordinator candidate around the league in the new year.
Former New York Jets Star Player Posts Then Quickly Deletes Savage Meme After HC Robert Saleh Was Fired, And It Tells Us Everything We Need To Know
Robert Saleh (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has been fired after five games.
Saleh was 20-36 as the Jets coach five games into his fourth season on the job.
The New York Jets entered the 2024 season with Super Bowl aspirations as quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned from a season-ending injury in 2023.
Unfortunately, the team has not only been playing below standards, but they don’t even look like a team that will qualify for the playoffs.
Not everybody was sad about the firing of Robert Saleh.
Former New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton took to his X account and posted a viral picture of a man who said years ago that he showed up to his biggest hater’s funeral to ensure that he was indeed dead.
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The current Eagles star quickly deleted the post.
During his time as head coach, Robert Saleh cycled through six different starting quarterbacks:
Zach Wilson: 33 games
Mike White: 7 games
Aaron Rodgers: 6 games
Joe Flacco: 5 games
Trevor Siemian: 3 games
Tim Boyle: 2 games
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is reportedly being named the interim head coach.
Aaron Rodgers Pushing Robert Saleh Now Speaks Volumes
The New York Jets have fired coach Robert Saleh after starting the season 2-3, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Robert Saleh appeared to try to give Aaron Rodgers a hug after the Jets’ second TD on “Thursday Night Football” earlier this year.
However, it appeared that Rodgers was not happy about it, so he pushed him away.
At the time, Robert Saleh stated, “Part of the things we’ve been talking about is to just give the defense a two-score lead,” Saleh said. “And it was a two-score lead.
“I guess he just wanted to see something on defense,” Saleh added, with a laugh. “He just reminded me that, you know, it was a two-score lead.”
Rodgers confirmed the two-score lead was the subject of the exchange while adding, “He’s not a big hugger,” Rodgers told reporters. “I didn’t know he was going for a hug.”
Two weeks later, and Saleh is now fired.
