Why New York Jets Fired Robert Saleh Now Instead of Waiting

Just five games into the season team owner Woody Johnson made the move to fire New York Jets coach Robert Saleh.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson walks on the field before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has never fired a coach during the season. But after more than 20 years of team ownership he did that for the first time on Tuesday when he fired Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start.

Many NFL team owners loathe to make this sort of move in season, unless it's close to the end of the season and their team is clearly not making the postseason. But, per Diana Russini at The Athetic, that is exactly the reason why Johnson made the move now.

Per her sources, Johnson views the Jets “…as a team ready to compete now and wanted to make a move to get things on the right track before it was too late.”

That aligns with a report ESPN filed on Tuesday from comments Johnson made at the NFL Honors in February during Super Bowl week. At that time, Johnson told reporters that he was “furious” about last season and was quoted as saying “We've got to produce” in 2024.

In 2023 the Jets lost their top acquisition, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, to an Achilles tear and his missed the entire season.

The Jets are coming off a 23-17 loss to Minnesota on Sunday in London, a game in which their offense looked sluggish for the second straight contest. That was coming off a 10-9 loss to Denver last Sunday at home in which the only scoring came off three field goals by Greg Zuerlein.

Just a few weeks ago, things looked rosy for the Jets as they were coming off two straight victories and carried a 2-1 record into a 10-day break before that Broncos game. Now, the Jets are in flux as they prepare for the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

Johnson released a statement on the firing through the team’s social media accounts.

pic.twitter.com/ZJ16NOiqBg

— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2024

“This morning I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as the head coach of the Jets. I thanked him for his hard work these past three-and-a-half years and wished him and his family well moving forward. This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.

“Jeff Ulbrich will serve as our interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe he along with the coaches on the staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”

Saleh was hired before the 2021 season after a successful stint as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. He never had a winning season and finishes his career with the Jets with a 20-36 record.