Woody Johnson clarifies Aaron Rodgers' role in Jets' ouster of Robert Saleh

Robert Saleh became the first head coaching domino to fall this season when he was fired by the New York Jets on Tuesday.

The decision fell to Jets owner Woody Johnson, who was anything but enthusiastic about the team's 2-3 record in the first five weeks of the season.

Later Tuesday, Johnson explained a key component of the decision to fire Saleh by saying Aaron Rodgers was not a factor in the team's coaching change.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Johnson said that he and Rodgers spoke as recently as Monday night, but claimed the topic of Saleh's departure was not discussed and that Rodgers had no influence on the decision.

Saleh had been at New York's helm since 2021 and had posted a .357 winning percentage in his first three and a half seasons. Despite an abundance of talent on the roster in 2024, the team struggled offensively early in the season, failing to score more than 24 points in any game.

Rodgers' return from last year's Achilles tendon injury was expected to give the Jets the missing piece to contend for the Super Bowl, but the team has appeared to be anything but a contender in recent weeks, prompting Johnson to make a move.

Despite New York's offense ranking near the bottom of the league in several key statistical categories, offensive coordinator and former Rodgers quarterbacks coach with the Green Bay Packers, Nathaniel Hackett, was not fired.

While there was much speculation that Rodgers was pulling the strings behind the Jets' coaching change, Johnson sought to change the narrative and make it clear that the decision to fire Saleh was entirely his own responsibility.