Insider addresses if Jets' Aaron Rodgers got Robert Saleh fired

Immediately after the news broke Tuesday that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson had fired head coach Robert Saleh, fans and analysts alike speculated that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was behind the surprising in-season move. 

That was before it was reported that Saleh was "seriously contemplating" parting ways with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers' friend and OC with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-21. 

For a piece published Wednesday morning, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler addressed whether Rodgers was truly responsible for Saleh's dismissal. 

"One source believed the notion that Aaron Rodgers intentionally got Saleh fired is 'BS' and that Rodgers actually advocated for Saleh at the end of last season," Fowler explained. 

Former Jets quarterback and current NFL analyst Boomer Esiason raised some eyebrows when he said last week he felt there was a "major issue" between Rodgers and Saleh after the two seemed to disagree about the veteran's pre-snap cadence negatively impacting the New York offense that struggled across the campaign's first five weeks. However, Fowler said that "the belief from some in the building is Saleh was good with Rodgers, despite the perception, along with general manager Joe Douglas." 

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini shared on Tuesday that Rodgers "wanted" Saleh to stay put after the 2023 Jets went 7-10. That makes sense considering the future Hall of Famer missed just about all of last season due to a torn Achilles and likely wouldn't have welcomed having to start over with a new coaching staff while recovering from such a setback at the age of 40. 

Beat reporter Brian Costello of the New York Post reported on Tuesday night that "Johnson was fuming after the Jets' 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos" on Sept. 29 that dropped Gang Green to 2-2 on the season. New York then suffered a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London this past Sunday. 

Costello added that "there was no indication from any sources that Rodgers was involved in the decision" to fire Saleh. 

"I do not believe there was any kind of significant rift between Rodgers and Saleh, based on what I've been told," ESPN's Dan Graziano said in Wednesday's article. "Johnson decided there needed to be a change in leadership aimed at salvaging the season."

Johnson will now hope that interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, previously New York's defensive coordinator under Saleh, can turn the club's season around beginning with this coming Monday's prime-time home game against the 3-2 Buffalo Bills.