Bill Belichick Drops Candid Criticism of Jets for Firing Coach Robert Saleh

The legendary coach weighed in on New York's decision to switch up its leader on the sidelines.

The two coaches went head-to-head six times after the Jets hired Saleh ahead of the 2021 season. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Now that he's not coaching on an NFL sideline, legendary coach Bill Belichick is letting his voice be heard on all the storylines circling the league throughout the 2024 season.

One of the biggest pieces of breaking news leading up to the Week 6 slate of games was the New York Jets opting to fire coach Robert Saleh following a 23–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London in Week 5.

Despite plenty of speculation that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was behind the coaching change, Jets owner Woody Johnson stated it was his choice and his choice only. No matter who made the decision, Belichick didn't agree with the Jets' move.

"It’s certainly tough. Particularly that situation," Belichick said on the Let's Go! podcast. "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. And then they've had some issues at quarterback, and now Aaron's 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 himself once worked in the Jets' organization as the team's defensive coordinator for three years from 1997 to '99. The next year, in 2000, Belichick was hired as the New England Patriots' head coach and won six Super Bowl titles over 24 seasons.

The Jets are set to play their first game without Saleh on Monday night—an important AFC North clash against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.

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