Robert Saleh insisted no one was panicked about the New York Jets’ slow start. A day later, he was out of a job.
Owner Woody Johnson made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire Saleh five games into his fourth season after the team’s 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London, England on Sunday.
“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,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement released by the team.
Defensive co-ordinator Jeff Ulbrich be serve as the interim coach for the balance of the season, Johnson added.
“He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team,” continued the owner. “I believe he [Ulbrich and the other coaches] can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this [past] off-season.”
It is the first time in Johnson’s 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired in the middle of the season.
The surprising move came a day after Saleh said he was confident Aaron Rodgers and the Jets would be able to turn things around after losing two straight, including falling 23-17 to undefeated Minnesota on Sunday in London. Rodgers had his worst game with New York, throwing three interceptions.
“There’s so much football to be played,” Saleh said Monday. “There’s so many things that we can get better at, and there’s so many things that we can continue to build on, the things that we are doing well.
“So, I’m not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked.”
Ulbrich coached in Atlanta before N.Y.
But apparently Johnson had seen enough from Saleh to make a change.
The Jets face the Buffalo Bills (3-2) on Monday night with a chance to share the AFC East lead with a victory. But instead of Saleh, it will be the 47-year-old Ulbrich leading the team on the sideline.
Ulbrich, who played linebacker for 10 seasons with San Francisco, joined the Jets as part of Saleh’s initial staff in 2021. Ulbrich was an an assistant with Atlanta for six seasons before coming to New York.
Saleh replaced the fired Adam Gase in January 2021 after the Jets went 9-23 in his tenure. New York went after the energetic and well-regarded Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive co-ordinator for four seasons and oversaw a group that was ranked No. 2 overall and helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl for the 2019 season.
Saleh, the son of Lebanese parents, was believed to be the first Muslim head coach in NFL history when the Jets hired him. His tenure began with a major decision as he and general manager decided to move on from quarterback Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, to draft Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in 2021.
While Saleh and Ulbrich’s defence was a strength for the Jets, Wilson and the offence struggled mightily. Quarterback instability was a theme that was consistent throughout Saleh’s tenure in New York.
The Jets traded for Rodgers in April 2023, adding the four-time NFL MVP to a franchise looking for a winner. But last season was short-circuited when Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut.
New York limped to a 7-10 record and while Johnson wouldn’t specifically say there was a playoff mandate for this season, the owner made it clear he needed to see marked improvement from the team by saying “we have to do a lot better than seven games.”
Rodgers healed from his injury and was ready for the season opener, but he has been banged up the last two weeks and is dealing with a sprained ankle that hobbled him throughout the Jets’ loss to Darnold and the Vikings. Saleh said Monday that preliminary tests indicated Rodgers should be able to play against the Bills.
But now Saleh will be only a spectator.
There were questions about his relationship with the 40-year-old Rodgers, but both denied any friction as recently as last week.
