Albert Breer and Tom Curran discuss the possibility of Bill Belichick coaching the Jets. Plus, Breer shares what he’s hearing about Aaron Rodgers’ involvement in Robert Saleh’s firing
Aaron Rodgers described the allegations that he influenced the New York Jets' decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh "ridiculous."
What's more ridiculous might be what apparently happened behind the scenes that led to Saleh being out of a job after Week 5.
During an appearance Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer shared his reporting on why the Jets fired Saleh after a 2-3 start to the season and noted that Saleh isn't pointing blame at his star quarterback.
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"I can say with pretty good authority that Robert Saleh doesn't think that Aaron Rogers had anything to do with it," Breer said, as seen in the video player above. "They had a lengthy conversation (Wednesday). The two of them, they have a fine relationship."
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According to Breer, it was Jets owner Woody Johnson who drove the decision to fire Saleh -- and carried out the firing himself Tuesday without warning.
"My understanding is this was Woody Johnson walking into Robert Saleh's office unannounced (Tuesday), firing him with no explanation, and that was that," Breer said.
Johnson has been critical of Saleh in the past and seemingly gave his head coach an ultimatum this past offseason, telling reporters in February, "We've got to produce this year." But why fire Saleh so soon when his team could move into first place in the AFC East if it beats the Buffalo Bills on Monday night?
Breer reports that the Jets' 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London last weekend so upset Johnson -- who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021 -- that he decided to pull the plug on his head coach of three-plus seasons.
"The last straw was this happening to the former ambassador of the United Kingdom -- as he reminded us in the press release -- losing a game in embarrassing fashion in London in front of all those people," Breer said.
"... There's that whole premise, 'don't embarrass a billionaire' -- there's something about these London games, about going on that stage over there. It's really important to (NFL owners), because they feel like they're bringing their brand and their business overseas to this new audience. And I think that's a big piece of why we've seen these things happen coming off of those trips in the past."
Firing your head coach because you felt "embarrassed" by a one-score loss to an undefeated team in Week 5 seems like a bit of an overreaction. But making brash decisions is nothing new for Johnson, who turns to his third head coach in the past five seasons in interim HC Jeff Ulbrich.
The Jets have a very talented roster, but there's a reason they haven't made the playoffs since 2010, and it starts at the top.
Check out the video above for more from Breer and Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran on the Jets, why Bill Belichick would never take New York's head coach job and more.
