NFL Rumors: Aaron Rodgers' Speech to Jets Revealed After Robert Saleh's Firing

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was among those who addressed the room during a players-only meeting for the New York Jets after the team fired head coach Robert Saleh, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

"Rodgers spoke at the meeting, stressing the importance of accountability—the theme of the day, according to members of the leadership council," Cimini reported Monday. "Several players spoke up. Punter Thomas Morstead, a member of the council, told reporters there can be a 'walking-on-egg-shells kind of feeling' when a coach is ousted in-season, with players wondering about job security with a new man in charge."

Some are likely to see a level of irony in Rodgers preaching "accountability" when the Jets have gone above and beyond to accommodate him specifically.

Last offseason, New York hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator and signed wide receiver Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard, all figures with whom Rodgers was familiar from his Green Bay Packers days. New York activated the four-time MVP late last year despite knowing he wouldn't see the field. Then there was his June trip to Egypt, the optics of which look a little worse when the team is 2-3 and he's not playing all that well.

Jets owner Woody Johnson said he didn't consult directly with Rodgers before firing Saleh, and the star QB pushed back against the idea he wanted the coach out when appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.

Cimini reported Saleh and Rodgers chatted immediately after he was fired Tuesday and talked again on Wednesday.

"Saleh doesn't believe Rodgers influenced ownership's decision, according to sources close to the situation," Cimini reported.

Especially with Saleh out the door, the onus is even more on Rodgers to deliver, and how he performs will help to retrospectively shape the narrative of the coaching change.

Should the Jets turn things around with the help of their franchise QB, New York will have been justified in jettisoning Saleh. Absent that improvement, he'll look like a more sympathetic figure who was undone for factors that were partially out of his control.