NFL Rumors: Jets' Owner Told Robert Saleh Vikings Game Was 'Must Win' Before Firing

Robert Saleh knew he was under pressure with the New York Jets going into Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

On Wednesday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Kimberley Martin reported Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke with the coaching staff after the team's 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and told them the Vikings game was a "must-win" for them.

Martin did explain that Saleh understood Johnson was upset, but didn't interpret his statement as an ultimatum because it's still early in the season.

The Jets fired Saleh on Tuesday and appointed defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as interim head coach.

Johnson had spoken about his unhappiness with how the team was performing long before the Broncos' loss. He said during the NFL Honors ceremony in February—one month after the Jets finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record—that 2024 was a crucial year for the coaching staff and front office.

"The discussions I've had in the last couple of months, they've seen me about as mad as I can be with what was going on, with the offense particularly," Johnson said. "We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly. So I think they all got the message. This is it. This is the time to go. We've got to produce this year."

At the same event, Johnson said Saleh was going to take on more of a role with the offense because his history as a coach in the NFL has been on the defensive side of the ball.

"He's going to concentrate on offense," Johnson said. "He's got [DC] Jeff [Ulbrich] to kind of do the defense, and we've got good special teams. It's offense, offense, offense."

The results so far for the offense have been underwhelming, to say the least. They have scored as many points this season with Aaron Rodgers as they did last year with Zach Wilson through their first five games (93).

It's unfair to put all of the issues with the offense on Saleh. Rodgers threw three interceptions for the sixth time in his career against the Vikings. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's system is roundly criticized for being bland and out of date in the NFL in 2024.

The offensive line that was supposed to be better after the additions of Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and Olu Fashanu during the offseason ranks 27 in pass-block and run-block win rate through five games, per ESPN.com.

But Saleh was in his fourth season as head coach and only accumulated a 20-36 record with no playoff appearances. When you combine his record with the immense pressure the Jets have put themselves in by going all-in with the 40-year-old Rodgers as their quarterback, their only options were to keep waiting for things to get better or hope a change made things better.

Johnson opted to go with the latter strategy by moving on from Saleh. Time will tell if Ulbrich steps in as interim head coach and the on-field results improve.