How Jets' Aaron Rodgers reacted to demotion of friend after Robert Saleh firing

Fair or not, some outsiders continue to believe that then-New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh "seriously contemplating" parting ways with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett following Week 5 of the season resulted in quarterback Aaron Rodgers having team owner Woody Johnson fire Saleh on Tuesday. 

Interim Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed on Thursday that quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Todd Downing is replacing Hackett as the team's offensive play-caller beginning with this coming Monday's home matchup against the 3-2 Buffalo Bills. Ulbrich also revealed how Rodgers reacted to Hackett's demotion. 

"It was obviously — not necessarily shocked, but we all are familiar with the relationship [Rodgers] has with Nathaniel," Ulbrich said during a news conference, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "And they’re very, very good friends that go back a long way. He understood the decision and he was supportive of the decision. And I’m fortunate for that. So, I talked to him, I talked to a lot of offensive players — and defensive players for that matter — before making this decision."

Rodgers first had Hackett as a coordinator with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 through the 2021 season, and it's widely assumed the Jets hired Hackett in January 2023 to help convince Rodgers to force a trade from Green Bay to New York the subsequent spring. 

However, it was reported this past May that "the Jets made legitimate attempts this offseason to hire someone who would, essentially, replace Hackett" after the club's offense failed to impress without Rodgers in the lineup. 

Rodgers suffered a campaign-ending torn Achilles four offensive snaps into New York's 2023 season opener. 

Rodgers reportedly took the firing of Saleh "harder than almost anybody" in the locker room, and the future Hall of Famer insisted during a Wednesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he had nothing to do with Johnson's decision that was made roughly 48 hours after the signal-caller tossed three interceptions in a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that dropped the Jets to 2-3 on the season.

According to ESPN stats, Gang Green began Thursday responsible for the league's worst rushing attack (80.4 yards on the ground per game) and ranked 25th with an average of 18.6 points scored per contest. 

Per Connor Hughes of SNY, Rodgers said on Wednesday he would support however Ulbrich handled the offense moving forward. It remains to be seen what Thursday's development means for Hackett's role with the Jets beyond the Buffalo game.