The New York Jets firing of head coach Robert Saleh remains a hot topic.
With everyone chiming in, it was only a matter of time before we heard from six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick.
When he stopped by the Let’s Go podcast, he didn’t hold back on his feelings about the situation, and especially Jets owner Woody Johnson.
“It’s certainly tough,” Belichick said on the episode that came out Monday (h/t Rich Cimini). “Particularly that situation. You know, it’s one of the best defensive teams in the league. Robert made them that way. They were 32nd his first year, and they’ve been consistently in the top five, top three in most categories. So he’s done a great job on that side of the ball.”
Bill Belichick chimed in on the Saleh firing. Tonight on “Let’s Go!” (@SIRIUSXM), Belichick said:
“It’s certainly tough. Particularly that situation. You know, it’s one of the best defensive teams in the league. Robert made them that way. They were 32nd his first year, and…
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 14, 2024
The Jets are 2-3 on the season and have the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports. So you could understand the firing under those circumstances. But Belichick believes it was too early to pull the plug on Saleh who was hired in January 2021 for the job.
“And then they’ve had some issues at quarterback, and now Aaron [Rodgers’] back, but out of football for a year. Just seemed like a little early to pull the trigger on that one to me. But not out of character for the owner. Woody’s always been kind of hard to predict what he’s gonna do. Some of it just is hard to make sense out of, but I think Saleh did a good job there. He brought a strong culture to the defense and obviously not quite there yet, but a long way to go in the season, seemed like a premature move.”
Belichick doubled down on his Jets feelings when he stopped by Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli on Monday.
“I’m not a big Jets fan, in case you don’t know that … I thought Coach Saleh really did a good job with this team … That’s kinda what it’s been there with the Jets. They’ve barely won over 30% in the last 10 years. The owner being the owner … ready, fire aim.”
Bill Belichick: “I’m not a big Jets fan, in case you don’t know that… I thought Coach Saleh really did a good job with this team… That’s kinda what it’s been there with the Jets. They’ve barely won over 30% in the last 10 years. The owner being the owner… ready, fire aim.” pic.twitter.com/p0Ek5RCuJg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 15, 2024
There might be more to it, however.
With Saleh’s firing, there were speculations Belichick could take over, but with the history of the coach and the Jets, that seems unlikely.
As Chad Graff pointed out in The Athletic, referencing a 2018 ESPN 30 for 30, Belichick made it clear his disdain for the team. The reason behind his departure after one day as the head coach had to do with ownership and Johnson.
Belichick’s resignation was written on a napkin, by the way.
“I BB resign as HC of the NYJ,” it read.
HE DIDN’T EVEN SPELL OUT THE WORDS.
This is also deemed as one of the worst things to happen to the franchise.
So Belichick, who didn’t return to the New England Patriots after 24 seasons with the team, continues this bitter attitude toward the Jets.
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.