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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterOct 9, 2024, 03:15 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, commenting for the first time on Robert Saleh’s dismissal, fired back at those who believe he influenced owner Woody Johnson’s decision to change coaches after only five games.
“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. “And that is that I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false. It’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t. I love Robert.”
Rodgers said he will support interim coach Jeff Ulbrich and any changes he might make to the offensive staff. One of those changes could be a demotion for Rodgers’ close friend, Nathaniel Hackett, the offensive coordinator and playcaller. Ulbrich said Tuesday he’s mulling changes, but he didn’t offer specifics.
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Before he got fired, Saleh was preparing to demote Hackett, a source said — a decision that may have chafed Rodgers. He wasn’t asked about that Wednesday; Rodgers gave no indication of any friction or disagreements in their relationship.
One day after Saleh’s firing, several players said they were stunned by the move. On Tuesday, when the news broke shortly after 10 a.m., the Jets held a series of internal meetings to discuss the change — a leadership council meeting (attended by Johnson), a players-only meeting and a full team meeting at which Ulbrich spoke. The overriding theme, players said, was the importance of accountability.
Rodgers spoke at the players-only meeting, stressing that same point, tight end Tyler Conklin said Wednesday. The notion of Rodgers getting Saleh fired never was discussed in the forum, according to Conklin.
“I don’t think anybody inside this building player-wise or anything thought that he had anything to do with that,” Conklin said. “I honestly, truly believe that. I mean, Aaron probably took this harder than almost anybody.”
On McAfee’s show, Rodgers expressed empathy for Saleh and his family, lamenting how it might have been a different story if he had been playing better. He did say that he received a call from Johnson on Monday night, adding that Saleh’s future wasn’t mentioned in the conversation. The call lasted five minutes, he said.
“We had a short conversation,” Rodgers said. “I appreciated the call. It was a genuine call. He just asked me how I was doing. Obviously, I got rolled up on in the game, my ankle got pretty banged up, so he was just calling and asking how I was doing.
“We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, that I’m going to play better and that we’re going to get this thing turned around. And then, we hung up. At that point, Woody has no obligation to let me know what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential.”
On Tuesday, Johnson said the decision to fire Saleh (20-36) was “my decision and mine alone.” He talked only briefly about it with general manager Joe Douglas before terminating Saleh, sources said. Johnson said he solicited no input from Rodgers.
The Rodgers-Saleh relationship has been under the microscope since June, when Saleh fined the four-time MVP for vacationing in Egypt instead of attending a mandatory minicamp. Speculation bubbled up in recent weeks, but both men insisted their relationship was fine. Rodgers called it “a very solid relationship.”
On Wednesday, Saleh released a 181-word statement thanking the organization, his staff, the players and the fans. He made no mention of any individuals.
“He was a big reason why I came to the Jets,” Rodgers said of Saleh.
“When it comes to me, I don’t feel like I need to defend myself or say anything,” Rodgers added. “There’s always going to be narratives out there and conversations around what I think and how much power I have and how much influence I have. It’s not something I worry about — it’s really not.”
Meanwhile, players still were processing the firing. Linebacker C.J. Mosley said he was “pretty shocked.” Offensive tackle Morgan Moses said it “caught a lot of people off guard.” Conklin said: “[I have] a heavy heart. A lot of us have talked about this as a production business and, as a group, we haven’t been producing, and Coach Saleh ended up having to take the fall for that.”
Despite a two-game losing streak, the Jets (2-3) will be playing for a share of first place in the AFC East when they face the Buffalo Bills (3-2) on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
