Most of the football world seems to believe that Aaron Rodgers helped fire his former head coach, Robert Saleh. Rodgers, on the other hand, thinks that is “ridiculous.”
Saleh was fired Tuesday morning by Jets Owner Woody Johnson in a move that shocked media and fans alike. Speculation about Rodgers’ involvement in the decision to fire Saleh began immediately due to several viral videos this year that showed Rodgers and Saleh in some very tense moments.
“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not gonna spend more than one sentence in response to it,” Rodgers said Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show. “And that is that I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false. It’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t. I love Robert.”
Jets Owner Woody Johnson also shot down the idea Rodgers played any part in the firing.
“This is one of the most-talented teams that has ever been assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said. “I wanted to give this team the most opportunity to win this season. I feel that we had to go in a different direction, and that’s why I did that today. The change that we made today, that I made, I believe will bring new energy and positivity that will lead to more wins starting now.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years now. This is probably the best team I’ve had. I just felt that the best way to go forward with a new direction and taking Jeff Ulbrich and making him the interim head coach, I thought that would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance to do what we all want to, which is going to the playoffs.”
Still, for all the denials from Rodgers and Johnson, the situation is just too bizarre.
First, Rodgers is the Jets franchise’s most valuable and essential piece. He may not have actively sought Saleh’s firing. However, he clearly didn’t do anything to stop it either because a protest from his franchise quarterback surely would have stopped Johnson from cutting Saleh loose.
Rodgers’ assertion that Johnson didn’t tell Rodgers of his plans to fire Saleh is equally ridiculous. The future Hall of Famer claims he spoke to Johnson the night before Saleh’s firing, but they only discussed his performance against the Vikings on Sunday.
“Yeah, I did talk to Woody,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “Woody called me on Monday night. We had a short conversation. I appreciated the call. It was a genuine call. He just asked me how I was doing. Obviously, I got rolled up on in the game, my ankle got pretty banged up, so he was just calling and asking how I was doing.
“We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, that I’m gonna play better, and that we’re gonna get this thing turned around. And then, we hung up. At that point, Woody has no obligation to let me know what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment in inconsequential.”
Johnson called Rodgers and failed to mention his plans to fire his head coach?
Regardless, the Jets offense, and Rodgers, in particular, are not playing well this year. Robert Saleh is gone, but the losing will continue if Rodgers plays poorly.