Jets fire HC Robert Saleh ahead of Week 6 primetime bout with Bills

The Buffalo Bills will not face off against Robert Saleh in Week 6, as he's been fired by the New York Jets.

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

A portion of the national football media’s attention has been centered on the Buffalo Bills in recent days due to the way in which they handled the clock in the final moments of their Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans. They certainly won’t be the most heavily discussed team entering their Week 6 Monday Night Football clash with the New York Jets, however, as Buffalo's divisional foe has fired their head coach ahead of the matchup.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday morning that the Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is set to take over head coaching duties on an interim basis.

Related: Stephen A. Smith blasts Bills HC Sean McDermott for ‘egregious’ decisions vs. Texans

Saleh had led New York to a 2-3 record through the first five weeks of the 2024 campaign, good for second in the AFC East behind the Bills. The Jets initially hired him in the 2021 offseason, and though the team boasted some immensely talented rosters throughout his tenure, they were never able to qualify for the postseason due to inconsistent (and generally poor) quarterback play; acquiring four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers was meant to fix this, and while New York is still a talented club, Saleh will no longer be the one attempting to lead it to glory.

Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He exits East Rutherford with a record of 20-36 as the Jets’ head coach, good for a winning percentage of .357%. He constructed a record of 2-4 against the Bills.

One could argue that his dismissal throws the New York organization into disarray, but that would imply that the club was not in disarray before his firing. It’s possible that Ulbrich comes in and leads a turnaround of massive proportions, but from a 30,000-foot view, it looks as though the Jets are now a longshot to usurp Buffalo in the division this year; with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots both struggling through five weeks, it again looks as though the AFC East is the Bills’ division to lose.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• 5 stats you'll want to know from Bills' frustrating 23-20 loss to Texans

• Examining the struggles of Bills' wide receivers and how it can be fixed

• Bills made NFL history with poor end-of-game management vs. Texans

• Anonymous Bills player had telling quote about coaching staff after ugly Week 5 loss

• Dire nature of Bills’ receiving corps encapsulated in this concerning stat