The NFL world was taken by surprise when Robert Saleh was fired by the New York Jets. A recent report indicates that the head coach was caught off guard by the decision as well and was escorted out of the Jets’ premises by security personnel. However, former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears believes this was a long time coming.
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During his appearance on First Take, Spears had a strong view about Saleh’s firing, asserting that when owner Woody Johnson hired Aaron Rodgers to the team last year, it was already over for Saleh.
“But the Jets fired the most unimportant person in their building, is what I thought initially. And this didn’t start this season. It started when they started sending planes to California to recruit Aaron Rodgers to be their quarterback. We knew that the writing was on the wall for Robert Saleh.”
The former DE then argued that it’s unreasonable to expect Saleh to be “demanding” and “stern” in the locker room, as it was never truly his show. It became Rodgers’ the moment the QB walked in.
He does, however, believe that the Jets’ system broke down last season with Rodgers’ Achilles injury. And this is the time the now-former head coach kept the team united, thus keeping his job.
“But Robert Saleh, to me, held the team together that obviously didn’t have the quarterback play nowhere near what it needed.”
Now, with the four-time MVP back in the locker room, Saleh is no longer the leader that everyone looks up to.
This is how the now-former head coach lost control of his locker room, and now he is without a job. Surprisingly, though, Saleh was never favored for the job anyway.
Woody Johnson didn’t choose Saleh as head coach
As it turns out, Saleh didn’t join the Green Gang under Johnson’s ownership. Following the firing news, Ari Meirov reported on X that the former HC was hired by Johnson’s brother Christopher Johnson in 2021.
At that time, Woody was in the UK serving as the U.S. Ambassador under Donald Trump’s presidency. Therefore, when the owner returned to the helm, he may have been more critical of a coach’s performance whom he hadn’t hired in the first place.
As the chaos unfolds, the Jets fans have just one question in mind: who will the next head coach be? While Bill Belichick’s name is in the winds, nothing concrete has been announced from the franchise yet. As for Saleh, the coach would be on the lookout for his new role in the league after spending three seasons in the Big Apple.
