Aaron Rodgers Wasn't Consulted on Robert Saleh's Firing, Says Jets' Woody Johnson

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson maintained he made the final call on firing head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday.

The team confirmed Saleh's exit, with Johnson saying in a statement it "was not an easy decision" but a necessary one amid a 2-3 start to the 2024 NFL season:

In a subsequent media call, Johnson said he chatted with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday night. The topic of Saleh's job status didn't come up in the conversation.

The Jets have bent over backward to accommodate Rodgers since acquiring him from the Green Bay Packers. Especially considering the veteran quarterback had to push back against the idea his relationship with Saleh was fracturing, many fans immediately thought he was a driving force behind Tuesday's move, even if he wasn't directly involved.

Johnson further fueled that perception by opting against firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett along with his head coach.

The Jets offense was among the NFL's worst in 2023 without Rodgers under center and it remains a middling unit now that he's healthy.

In January, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini described Hackett as "Rodgers' hand-picked offensive coordinator" and wrote their "relationship dynamic is more frat brothers than player/coach."

Beyond that, they reported that Hackett "struggled to adjust the offense to the team's new reality" after Rodgers' Achilles injury last year and that "multiple coaches and players described Hackett as lacking in attention to detail."

Rosenblatt and Russini provided an update Tuesday and reported Hackett "doesn't have a lot of support on the Jets roster or coaching staff either, according to sources, and many were frustrated with his play-calling dating back to last year."

When you fire the head coach but keep the unpopular offensive coordinator who has a close bond with the quarterback, it's bound to come off like you're playing favorites and effectively letting the quarterback run the show.