By Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini
The New York Jets didn’t want to fire Robert Saleh after last season in part because they didn’t think they’d be able to find someone better to replace him — and also because Aaron Rodgers wanted him back. After five games of the 2024 season, Jets owner Woody Johnson decided Saleh wasn’t good enough anymore, firing him on Tuesday. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the interim coach.
According to team sources: Johnson did not consult with other members of the Jets’ front office, including GM Joe Douglas, before making the decision to fire Saleh. Johnson informed Saleh of his dismissal Tuesday morning. Saleh told the owner he understood the season’s expectations but that he thought he’d have more time to see it through, and emphasized the defense’s impressive performance during his tenure. But the decision had already been made — in a formality, Saleh was escorted out of the building by Robert Mastroddi, the team’s head of security and a friend of Saleh’s.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2024
In three-plus seasons, Saleh went 20-36 and the Jets never sniffed the postseason despite having one of the NFL’s best defenses over the last two years. Saleh and his staff got a mulligan after last year, in part because Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury four plays into the season, leaving the Jets with a QB rotation of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. That was mostly a disaster, and behind the scenes Saleh didn’t exactly win many fans with the way he handled that situation, often privately pointing out that other successful coaches around the league have also struggled with backup quarterbacks.
Then, the last two weeks happened — with Rodgers at quarterback. In losses to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, the offense has struggled in a way that it did when Wilson was still quarterback. The same issues — a team that looked unprepared at the start of games, too many penalties, questionable decision-making and a lack of accountability — ultimately proved to be enough for Johnson to pull the plug on Saleh five weeks into the season, the first time he’s ever fired a head coach in-season over 25 seasons as the Jets’ owner. According to a team source, Johnson felt the Jets have a roster that’s ready to compete now and felt compelled to make a move now before it was too late.
Multiple players and coaches told The Athletic after Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London that the team’s vibes were “off,” that Saleh was losing support and that some — especially players on defense — were frustrated with the lack of accountability taking place as the offense kept making the same mistakes they’ve been making for the last few years, and wasting another stellar defensive effort. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel 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.
It’s my understanding that the Jets do not plan on firing OC Nathaniel Hackett.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 8, 2024
Pro Bowl linebacker Quincy Williams didn’t hide his frustration after the game.
“I’m gonna be honest. People get tired of hearing the same s—,” Williams told SNY. “People gotta take accountability from the top to the bottom. That’s all I gotta say … people gotta start taking accountability, I’m tired of saying the same thing every week.”
Ultimately, it’s hard to blame Johnson for making this move to fire Saleh, even if it seems surprising at the moment, especially with the way the season was going for a team that had such high hopes in training camp.
Ulbrich was the obvious choice to replace Saleh for the remainder of this season. He is beloved by the Jets roster and staff, along with being respected by Rodgers. Saleh excelled as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers before the Jets hired him in 2021, but he handed the keys of the defense to Ulbrich when he became a head coach. Ulbrich has been a driving force in getting the Jets from the 32nd-ranked scoring defense in 2021 to fourth in 2022, 12th in 2023 and seventh so far in 2024.
“He’s just a real coach,” defensive end Jermaine Johnson told The Athletic last season. “He’s done it, which is extremely important for me. It’s very easy for me to take what he says and apply it because I know he’s done it, he’s been there. He did it at a high level. Obviously he’s proven himself in terms of how he can run a defense and lead a group of alphas and a group of dominant men. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be a head coach. I think everything good that comes to him, he deserves 100 percent.”
Ulbrich really started warming up to the idea of becoming a head coach one day before last season, he told people close to him. He served as a head coach at the Senior Bowl earlier this year and it gave him a taste of what that might look like.
“I think it’s a chance for me to look at it from a different perspective, from a global perspective,” Ulbrich said. “It’s just amazing how many little things that I never really thought of as a position coach and a coordinator that a head coach has to deal with, so many non-football things. It’s been interesting from that standpoint. It’s a great opportunity from that standpoint, to look at it through that lens.”
Now he’ll get a real chance to prove to the Jets — or another team that might have an opening — that he deserves a shot at the full-time job. The path is laid out in front of him: The Jets have a playoff-caliber roster and it’s early enough in the season to turn things around, starting this week against the Buffalo Bills. With a win, they’d be tied for first place in the AFC East. This is an organization that hasn’t made the postseason in 13 years, and if Ulbrich is able to pull that off after the Jets’ slow start to the year, it would be a convincing argument for a promotion to the full-time job. If the Jets continue to stumble, there are some appealing coaching candidates expected to be available this offseason, including former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who should top the list of candidates if Ulbrich doesn’t keep the job.
Saleh did not do enough to get to the postseason. So now the Jets move forward with Ulbrich, with their goal of the playoffs still intact.
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)