Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers broke his silence on the firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, insisting any claims that he is somehow responsible for the shocking early-season change is “ridiculous.”
Media speculation has run rampant since Saleh was dismissed after a slow start to their season, in which the Jets have gone 2-3.
Talking heads cited Rodgers missing part of the team’s mandatory minicamp in June due to a pre-planned trip to Egypt and a recent on-field incident in which the Jets’s signal-caller seemingly dismissed his coach on the sideline.
Rodgers adamantly denied having any hand in the decision to dismiss Saleh during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not gonna spend more than one sentence in response to it,” he 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.”
Aaron Rodgers Hit Hard By Robert Saleh Firing
Aaron Rodgers’ denying any role in the firing of Robert Saleh has been backed by statements made by New York Jets team owner Woody Johnson.
Johnson said the firing “was his decision alone,” according to the New York Post.
Jets tight end Tyler Conklin says nobody on the team believes Rodgers had anything to do with the firing.
“I don’t think anybody inside this building player-wise or anything thought that he had anything to do with that,” Conklin said. “I honestly, truly believe that, I mean, Aaron probably took this harder than almost anybody.”
Rodgers told McAfee that he spoke to the Jets owner but that no mention of the coaching situation came up, and Johnson offered no hints of what was to come.
“We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, that I’m going to play better and that we’re going to get this thing turned around. And then, we hung up,” said Rodgers. “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.”
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Maybe He Was Fired Because The Team Was Playing Poorly?
If Aaron Rodgers has any responsibility in the matter, maybe it’s simply that Robert Saleh wasn’t bringing out the best in his quarterback, his offense, or his team.
Could it be that simple?
They lost their last two games, including a really sloppy effort against the Denver Broncos which they dropped by a score of 10-9.
“One of the reasons I decided to make a coaching change is exactly that, we need to find ways to win,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to find those ways by doing the same thing over and over and over.”
Still, it’s not often you see a team make a head coaching change just 5 weeks into the season.
“I’ve had enough experience doing these things,” Johnson said. “It’s the first time I’ve done it this early. I thought and think that this will help this talented team achieve the goals that the team wants and I want and the fans want.”
The Jets have named defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach.
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