Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh, who thanks fans, players and coaches in a heartfelt statement

The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter The Jets announced Saleh around 10 a.m. ET. Team owner Woody Johnson released a statement shortly afterward regarding Saleh's firing and announced that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would be the interim head coach. The Jets are 2-3 this season and have never had a successful season with Saleh as head coach.

Saleh released a statement Wednesday morning thanking the Jets organization as well as players, coaches, staff and fans. He didn't name anyone specifically, so there were no references to Johnson or QB Aaron Rodgers.

When Saleh was hired to replace Adam Gase in 2021, he caused quite a stir. He was a standout defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons and developed into a top head coaching candidate over time. When he was hired he had a clean slate; The franchise didn't have a quarterback but had the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

And with that No. 2 pick, the Jets signed Zach Wilson, who ended up being a huge failure for the franchise. It's hard to say how much of that selection fell on Saleh, but he stuck with it nonetheless.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the firing surprised Saleh.

Team owner Woody Johnson spoke to reporters about the coaching change, saying expectations were high and Saleh didn't meet them.

According to CBS's Jonathan Jones, Saleh also reportedly considered firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett – one of Rodgers' preferred coaches – although another report from SNY TV's Connor Hughes suggests that Saleh just wanted to demote Hackett.

It seemed like things were about to change for Saleh when the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers ahead of the 2023 season. Rodgers, then 39, had more left in the tank and wanted to use it in New York.

We all know what happened back then. Rodgers tore his Achilles four times in the first game of the season, which meant Saleh Wilson had to be used as the starting quarterback again. Now finally in 2024, after three seasons of waiting to see what Saleh can do with a serious quarterback, the Jets gave him just five games with Rodgers to show off.

At the end of his 56-game tenure with the Jets, Saleh is 20-36. Given all the adversity he faced during that time, one has to wonder how Saleh would have fared if even one thing had gone his way. If he had had a league-average quarterback instead of Wilson when he started his career with the Jets, how different would the Jets be today?

The answer to this is unknown. For some reason, the Jets had seen enough of Saleh.