After their disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London, the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was named interim head coach. His first game in charge will come when the Jets host the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
Saleh, 45, had one year remaining on his contract that he signed in 2021.
“When I take a look at this team, and you know I’ve been doing this for 25 years now, this is probably the best team I’ve had in 25 years,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a Tuesday afternoon conference call with the media. “I just felt that the best way to go forward was with a new direction, and taking Jeff Ulbrich, and making him the interim head coach.
“I thought that [Ulbrich] would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance to [make] the playoffs.”
Saleh registered a 20-36 record in four seasons, which is the worst record for any Jets coach with a minimum of 40 games with the team. This is the first time since becoming the owner in 2000 that Johnson has fired a coach in the middle of the season.
The Jets hired Saleh in 2021 following his successful stint as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-21. He replaced Adam Gase, who finished with a 2-14 record in 2020 before he was fired.
In Saleh’s first season with the team, the Jets finished 4-13. The following season, the Jets went 7-10 but lost their final six games of the year after having a 7-4 record.
Following those back-to-back losing seasons, the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers in April 2023. At that point, Gang Green’s expectations changed.
However, Saleh received a mulligan following another 7-10 campaign in 2023 because of Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear. After Rodgers’ devastating injury, the Jets started three quarterbacks: Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. The unheralded trio couldn’t do anything to spark the team and Gang Green again finished near the bottom of the league in yards and points per game.
At the NFL Honors award show in February, Johnson put Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas on notice.
“They’ve seen me about as mad as I could be with what was going on with the offense particularly,” Johnson said. “We’ve got all this talent and we’ve got to deploy talent properly.”
With Rodgers healthy, the Jets were again pegged as Super Bowl contenders. In Week 1, Gang Green lost in embarrassing fashion to San Francisco on Monday Night Football. The Jets then recovered by defeating the Titans and Patriots in back-to-back weeks.
But over the next two weeks — back-to-back losses to the Broncos and Vikings — it was clear something needed to be fixed as the Jets offense continued to be putrid under Saleh’s leadership.
After scoring three touchdowns in three consecutive games, the Jets offense didn’t score a touchdown in the loss to the Broncos. In addition, the Jets committed 15 penalties.
In the postgame press conference following the loss to Denver, Saleh appeared to blame Rodgers’ cadence. He backtracked days later and said it was a media-created issue.
At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, the Jets fell behind 17-0 before mounting a comeback and had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter. But Rodgers threw an interception to Stephon Gilmore on the final drive, ending the Jets’ hopes.
When speaking to SNY on Sunday, Quincy Williams raised eyebrows with his comments about the team.
“I’m going to be honest, people get tired of hearing the same s–t,” Williams said. “People gotta start taking accountability from the top to the bottom, that’s the main thing.”
The Jets are currently 27th in yards (286.6) and 25th in points per game (18.6).
During Saleh’s tenure, the Jets were criticized for being undisciplined. Since 2021, the Jets have committed 60 more penalties than their opponents, which is the worst margin in the NFL during that time, according to ESPN.
Saleh received the news of his firing in his office on Tuesday when Johnson informed him of his decision, according to sources. The director of security escorted Saleh out of the building, which, according to a source, is standard protocol.
Saleh’s tenure will be known for the instability at the quarterback position. Including Rodgers, six different players (Wilson, Mike White, Siemian, Joe Flacco, Boyle] started games for the Jets during Saleh’s tenure.
Wilson started 11 games in 2023 following Rodgers’ injury but was traded to the Broncos during the offseason.
“We need to find ways to win. … We’re not going to find those ways by doing the same thing over and over and over, so I think that Jeff is going to add something,” Johnson said. “He’s going to add a spark of positivity and all that that goes with somebody that the [players] know, and that they respect.
“Those changes that we have to make on offense, we’ll make. We’re going to make them on offense, and we’re going to make them on defense. We’re going to try to get better, and so this is a new opportunity for all of us, so that’s why I decided to do that today.”
When meeting with the media on Tuesday afternoon, Ulbrich said the last few hours have been a “whirlwind” and called them “four hours of craziness.” He was actually preparing for the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen when he learned that Saleh had been fired.
Ulbrich addressed the team after Saleh’s firing and had a message for his players.
“It’s time to lock arms,” Ulbrich said. “We go back-to-back and it’s us against everybody, and with the talent that we have in that room in my opinion, we have everything we need to be successful and have the season that we know we’re capable of having. And at the same time, shared my love, regard, and respect for Robert … A day like this, there’s some sadness and frustration because ultimately his firing is on all of our hands, you know, so we got to do a better job.”
Ulbrich will have major decisions to make in the coming days. One of them will be the status of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who has been criticized for his playcalling and lack of in-game adjustments.
The Jets have an extra day of game planning this week because of their Monday night game against the Bills. When asked if he was considering firing Hackett or changing play-callers, Ulbrich was noncommittal.
“We’re going to take a deep dive on that in the next, really 36 hours, and look at every possibility, but I do not see changes in titles in positions as far as responsibilities and the process itself,” Ulbrich said.
“We’re going to take a hard look at that.”
