What does the firing of Robert Saleh mean for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets offense? Here's what the team management said

Woody Johnson could have said it.

Jeff Ulbrich could have said it.

But when the New York Jets team owner and interim coach was asked about Nathaniel Hackett on Tuesday afternoon, none of them would confirm that the offensive coordinator and game manager was safe, hours after the team fired head coach Robert Saleh.

“We will make changes wherever changes are due,” Johnson said. “We know where we are weak and where we are strong. And so do you.”

The Jets' defense ranks fifth in the league in points allowed and second in yards allowed. Its offense ranks 25th in scoring and 27th in yards allowed – despite four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking the unit.

This is the third straight year Hackett's offensive units have struggled. As head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2022, Hackett's offense ranked last in scoring and 21st in yardage. Last year, Hackett's offense posted the Jets' second-worst yardage and fourth-worst scoring offense.

Although Ulbrich said he has “tremendous respect” for “every single guy” on the offensive team, his decision not to confirm to Hackett that he will continue to make plays throughout the season was notable.

“In my opinion, these guys will be there for us on Monday Night Football,” Ulbrich said of the Jets' upcoming prime-time game against the Buffalo Bills. “And they will do a great job. What I mean by that is that it was four hours fresh for me to take on this role. Everything is being evaluated: the process, the responsibilities, etc. But I don’t expect any personnel changes.”

Ulbrich was asked whether staff roles could change even if no further staff layoffs were expected. In other words, could he hand over the responsibility of running the game to a coach like passing game coordinator Todd Downing, the former offensive coordinator of the Raiders and Titans?

“Yes, we will look at this intensively in the next 36 hours and examine every possibility, but I don’t see any changes necessarily in the titles and positions,” Ulbrich said. “As far as the responsibilities and the process itself, we will take a close look at that.”

How Jets faced job security questions

Johnson and Ulbrich spoke with reporters after Johnson announced Tuesday morning that he had fired Saleh five games into his fourth season as head coach of the Jets.

The Jets weren't 0-5 like Dan Quinn and Jay Gruden were when the Atlanta Falcons and Washington (not yet) Commanders fired them five games in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

They also weren't 1-4 like Matt Rhule was when the Carolina Panthers released him in 2022.

The Jets are 2-3. But Johnson believes his team is far more capable than its losing record suggests. So the former US ambassador to the UK made a change between his team's game in London and its prime-time home game on Monday.

“This is one of the most talented teams ever assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said. “I wanted to give the team the best chance to win this season. I feel like we needed to go in a different direction.”

The Jets looked shaky in a 32-19 loss in Week 1 to the San Francisco 49ers, but that could be excused by facing the reigning NFC champions. A 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos and Bo Nix, the sixth quarterback drafted this year, was a season he ultimately forfeited given the ransom the Jets paid to acquire Rodgers before 2023 Achilles tendon rupture is harder to justify.

Then came the London game.

Yes, Rodgers faced one of the best defenses in the league in the Minnesota Vikings, coordinated by Brian Flores. Still, three interceptions, including a pick 6 by Rodgers, weren't enough. The quarterback found top receiver Garrett Wilson for 101 yards and a touchdown, but only connected with him on 13 of 22 targets. All 13 had fewer than 10 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats.

A running game with talented backs in Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen only managed 36 yards.

Hackett is essentially Rodgers' hand-picked coordinator after the two worked together in Green Bay. And the Jets are largely sold out to give Rodgers the infrastructure he wants in what appears to be a small (and shrinking by the day) window of opportunity to win in the postseason and justify their trade.

Ulbrich was asked if Rodgers had any influence on his play-caller.

“Obviously he has a lot of insight into this offensive system and was a part of it when it was operating at the highest level,” Ulbrich said. “I think Aaron will be part of a lot of conversations.”

What role does Aaron Rodgers play in a changing time?

Was Rodgers involved in the talks about firing Saleh?

This question is complicated.

The relationship between Rodgers and Saleh has been in the public spotlight on several occasions.

There was Rodgers' trip to Egypt during mandatory minicamp in June, when Saleh publicly said the quarterback would face an unexcused absence.

During Thursday Night Football against the Patriots, a side clip of Saleh attempting to hug Rodgers after Rodgers pushed his coach away went viral. The two downplayed the interaction.

The following week, Saleh questioned whether Rodgers' cadence worked for the Jets against the Denver Broncos. Rodgers then joked at the podium that the franchise should hold players more accountable instead of changing their processes.

Johnson said he spoke with Rodgers on Monday night before firing Saleh on Tuesday morning.

“I spoke to him the night before, but we didn’t talk about it specifically at all,” Johnson said. “We basically talked about the previous game and how he broke the 60,000-yard mark and did that and I'm sorry he got hit so many times and how did he feel?

“The question of whether I would do it or not, no, we didn’t discuss that.”

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Ulbrich said it was too early to decide whether he would continue his role as defensive game manager while also directing game operations as head coach, but “everything is on the table.”

Ulbrich echoed Johnson's sentiment that the team has the ingredients necessary to achieve its postseason goals. The interim coach and Rodgers spoke about the importance of introducing an “element of change” in the post-Saleh era.

Could this be more of a downfield pass to Rodgers or a different level of freedom at the line of scrimmage? It's too early to say that. But the Jets want to see change — and they want to see it now.

Their 3-2 division rivals will visit Monday night whether they're ready or not.

“I think one of the reasons I decided to make a coaching change at the highest level is exactly this: We have to find ways to win,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to find these ways by doing the same thing over and over again.”