The saga surrounding the firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday went from the typical dismissal to speculation that Aaron Rodgers was the man behind the mask — as in, he walked up to the owner and asked him to make this decision.
But Rodgers vehemently denied such allegations on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday.
“I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false,” Rodgers told McAfee.
Mike Lupica, a longtime sports journalist and author, said on The Michael Kay Show that this was the most believable of all the times that Rodgers has spoken on The Pat McAfee Show. Lupica also opined that Rodgers got Saleh fired, but not for the reasons many of those in sports media are speculating about.
“I think Pat McAfee made a good choice; this guy’s hardly a coach killer; he’s only played for three in 20 years,” Lupica said. “If he was going to get a coach killed, he would have gotten Mike McCarthy fired in Green Bay long before he did, and guys — listen, there’s a lot of things going on. Rodgers got Saleh fired, but I don’t think he got him fired because he went to the owner. I think he got him fired because of the way he’s played.”
“[Aaron] Rodgers got [Robert] Saleh fired, but I don’t think he got him fired because he went to the owner. I think he got him fired because of the way he’s played.” – Mike Lupica on @TMKSESPN pic.twitter.com/O3qG9C2qT0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 9, 2024
“I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false,” Rodgers told McAfee.
Rodgers did say that Jets owner Woody Johnson called him the night before the firing, but it was about how he was feeling after sustaining a sprained ankle during the Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that ultimately cost Saleh his job.
The Jets are 2-3 on the season and have the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports. That’s why Saleh was given the boot. And fair or not, Johnson saw this as a last-ditch effort to try to save a season that he believes one of the NFL’s better rosters is capable of having.
However, changing head coaches means only rearranging the Titanic’s deck chairs if Rodgers cannot right the ship with his play.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.