Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh after 20-36 record in 3-plus seasons: 'We're not where we should be'

The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, The Jets informed Saleh around 10am. Team owner Woody Johnson released a statement shortly after Saleh's firing and announced that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbricht was stepping in as interim head coach. The Jets are 2-3 this season and have never had a winning season with Saleh as head coach.

Saleh arrived with much fanfare when he was appointed to replace Adam Gase in 2021. He was a standout as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator for four seasons and became a major head coaching candidate over time. He had a clean slate when he was hired; The franchise had no quarterback but was selected No. 2 overall in the upcoming draft.

And with that No. 2 pick, the Jets drafted Jack Wilson, who turned out to be a major failure for the franchise. It's hard to know how much of that selection was up to Saleh, but he stuck with it regardless.

Things seemed to turn around for Saleh when the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers before the 2023 season. At 39 at the time, Rodgers had more left in the tank and wanted to use it in New York.

We all know what happened then. Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into the first game of the season, meaning Saleh had to once again use Wilson as his starting QB. Now finally in 2024, after waiting three seasons to see what Saleh could do with a serious quarterback, the Jets have given him only five games with Rodgers to show.

By the end of his tenure with the Jets, which lasted 56 games, Saleh was 20-36. Considering all the odds he faced during that time, you have to wonder how Saleh would have fared if even one thing had gone his way. If he had had a league average quarterback instead of Wilson when he started with the Jets, how different would the Jets be today?

The answer is unknown. For whatever reason, the Jets had seen enough of Saleh.