Kyle Shanahan 'Shocked' by Jets' Firing of Robert Saleh

Shanahan had the same reaction many had to the Jets' firing of his former assistant.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was "shocked" by the New York Jets firing Robert Saleh on Tuesday. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media on Tuesday and was asked about the New York Jets firing Robert Saleh.

Saleh was Shanahan's defensive coordinator with the 49ers for four seasons prior to taking the Jets' head coaching job, and the two previously coached together as assistants on the Houston Texans' staff from 2006-09, so there's plenty of history between the two.

Shanahan was "shocked" by Woody Johnson's decision to fire Saleh on Tuesday morning.

"I sent him a text, but I haven't gotten to talk to him," Shanahan said. "And yeah, I was pretty shocked. That stuff throws you off, especially when they're competing for first in the division this week and I think they're up there on defense and have got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year. So that was pretty surprising."

Saleh ended his tenure with the Jets with a 20-36 record across four seasons as the franchise's head coach. As Shanahan mentioned, the Jets are one of the top teams in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, but have also struggled on the offensive side of the football despite having Aaron Rodgers under center and a plethora of weapons.

The Jets have named defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim coach. They face the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

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