New York Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh

NEW YORK – The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh just five games into the season, the team announced Tuesday.

Saleh was appointed head coach in January 2021becomes the The NFL’s first Muslim head coach. During his tenure, the Jets went 20-36, including 2-3 this season, all in the NFL Longest active playoff droughtwhich equates to 13 seasons.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take over as interim head coach, owner Woody Johnson confirmed.

“This is one of the most talented teams ever assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said during a conference call with reporters. “I wanted to give this team the best possible chance to win this season. I feel like we needed to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that today.”

“This change, the change that we made today – that I made – I think will bring new energy and positivity that will lead to more wins from here on out.”

Johnson said he expects players to immediately embrace Ulbrich as boss.

“I’ve seen him as a coach, I know the relationship he has with the players and they respect him,” Johnson said. “They trust him. I saw it at halftime and I saw it in practice. When he talks, they listen to him in a way that probably reflects the fact that he played the sport for 10 years as a linebacker, what.” He brings that knowledge and respect and knowledge to the game in a way , which I think will be very good for players in the future.

Ulbrich said Tuesday that the Jets have all the tools to be much better than what they’ve shown.

“I agree with Mr. Johnson about the talent of this squad,” Ulbrich said. “We underperformed, for whatever reason, and we will look at it all closely. I truly believe that we will come together, commit to the process and succeed. We will.”

Entering the season, the Jets had high goals, and some fans and media members even whispered about the Super Bowl. The Jets still hope to make the playoffs for the first time since their loss in the AFC Championship Game at the end of the 2010 season and have made numerous moves, particularly this past offseason, to make that happen.

Still, the Jets are under .500 in October, inclusive a dismal performance in a 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos two weeks ago. They followed up on that with a brutal start and a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London.

The latter was quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ worst game against New York, as he threw three interceptions and often ran for his life behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him and create gaps in the running game.

Saleh said he didn’t panic after the Vikings’ loss

With the AFC East being a collection of mediocre teams so far, the Jets will face the Buffalo Bills next Monday night at MetLife Stadium with a chance to clinch first place.

On Monday, Saleh said he was confident they would be able to turn things around.

“There is so much football to play,” he told reporters. “There are so many things we can get better at and there are so many things we can continue to build on, the things we do well.”

“So I’m not panicking,” he added. “No one in the building is panicking.”

This is the first time in owner Johnson’s 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during a season. The last time the Jets fired a head coach in a season was 1975, when Charley Winner was fired after a 2-7 start and temporarily replaced by Ken Shipp. Lou Holtz was hired before the start of the following season, but resigned after 3-10 starts.

Who is Jeff Ulbrich?

Ulbrich, who played linebacker for 10 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, joined the Jets in 2021 as part of Saleh’s first team. He was an assistant at Atlanta for six seasons before coming to New York.

The Jets’ defense wasn’t the problem heading into the 2024 season. The unit currently ranks second in the NFL with just 256 yards per game and is fifth in scoring defense with just 17 points per game.

The Jets also collected 18 sacks, their most through five games since 2008.

The defense did it despite not having holdout edge rusher Haason Reddick all season, losing defensive end Jermaine Johnson to a season-ending Achilles injury, and spending the last few games without the do-it-all due to toe. Middle linebacker CJ Mosley has denied injury.

Ulbrich will be tasked with turning around an equally dire offensive. The Jets currently rank 27th in total offense with an average of 287 yards per game and 25th in scoring with an average of 18.6 points per game.

Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett status

For all their problems on offense, the Jets reportedly don’t want to replace offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Hackett, which was discontinued before last season to lead the offense after an unforgettable one-year stint as head coach in Denver, is considered Rodgers’ favorite because of their relationship, while the future Hall of Fame quarterback won MVP awards in Green Bay.

Johnson said Tuesday afternoon that Rodgers, who the Jets appear to have stuck with as long as the 40-year-old decides to keep playing, was not consulted in the decision to fire Saleh.

Hackett’s play calling was regularly questioned during the Jets’ slow start, particularly as they ran the ball less and less and called on Rodgers to complete 96 passes in the final two games. This was despite two talented running backs in Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen only totaling 18 touches in the loss to the Vikings.

Ulbrich said Tuesday that there will be no changes to the offensive coaching staff, but added that there will be a “deep dive” into everything, including play-calling.

One thing is for sure: Ulbrich, Hackett and the rest of the coaches on that side of the ball must find a way to get better play from the newly rebuilt offensive line. Rodgers has been sacked 13 times this season and the Jets are averaging an NFL-low 80.4 yards per game on the ground.