Ever since Robert Saleh was abruptly fired by the New York Jets, speculation has been rife about Aaron Rodgers playing a role in the head coach’s ouster. While the QB has since gone on a press run to clear his name, NFL legend Ben Roethlisberger feels that even if he takes A-Rod at his word, firing Saleh this early in the season doesn’t add up for him.
Advertisement
In the latest episode of “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” the former Steelers quarterback first clarified that he has full trust in Rodgers’ claims on The Pat McAfee Show, where the Jets quarterback stated that he had no hand in Saleh’s ouster.
However, Ben noted that it seemed “awfully early” for the team to sack Saleh, especially considering that their shortcomings weren’t solely on him.
The two-time Super Bowl champ recalled that before this season, the consensus was that the Jets were just one elite QB away from the playoffs. However, the Jets are still fighting to stay in the race, despite having Rodgers in the ranks, recently losing to their divisional rivals, the Buffalo Bills. The team had a solid chance to clinch first place in the division, but they fell short, even without Saleh at the helm.
Thus, Ben believes that not everything could be placed on Saleh:
“It’s crazy that they did this early in the season… I mean, I heard someone say last year that the only thing that the Jets were missing was an elite quarterback, which was Aaron Rogers. Aaron is back this year and I think someone said their offensive stats are pretty close to what they were last year. So is that on the head coach?“
Notably, the reason fans have been speculating about Rodgers’ involvement in Saleh’s sacking is owner Woody Johnson’s revelation that he did call his QB a day before the firing.
But does a QB have enough significance in an NFL team to fire a coach? While Roethlisberger is not sure if such influence can be handed over to a QB, Bill Belichick is convinced that it was a decision made by the owner.
Roethlisberger & Belichick speculate on who fired Robert Saleh
While Ben wasn’t convinced that Woody Johnson granted Rodgers enough of a free hand to influence the firing of the head coach, he did note that most of A-Rod’s personnel demands were met by the ownership.
From Allen Lazard to Randall Cobb last season, Ben argued that Rodgers’ good relationship with the Johnson family has helped him land the teammates he wants. Now, he even has Davante Adams by his side.
But getting Robert Saleh fired? Ben chose to play it safe and maintained that he had full trust in Rodgers’ plea of innocence in this matter.
Bill Belichick, on the other hand, continued his Jets-hating spree by blaming it on the ownership. He noted that in the last 10 years, the New York-based franchise has won barely one-third of its games. He attributed this performance to Woody Johnson always being in firing mode [pun intended].
“That’s kind of what it’s been there at the Jets — barely won over 30 percent in the last 10 years. The owner being the owner, just ready, fire, aim.”
Peyton Manning, on the ManningCast, echoed the same sentiment and agreed that the Jets sacked Saleh prematurely.
That said, results are all that matters in the world of NFL. If the Jets manage to turn it around with Jeff Ulbrich, Woody Johnson will be vindicated, but if the opposite happens, the meltdown against him and Rodgers will undeniably be epic.
