Reactions have been pouring in since the New York Jets decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday.
While opinions and hot takes from sports media and NFL fans can be interesting, they don’t carry as much weight. The players’ thoughts, however, are a different matter.
These are the individuals who spent most of their time with Saleh. As quarterback Aaron Rodgers mentioned during his interview on The Pat McAfee Show, there is definitely a “human aspect” to this whole situation.
While many speculated about whether Rodgers played a role in Saleh’s firing, he was actually thinking about Saleh’s family. It’s clear that Saleh had an impact on his players.
Rodgers wasn’t the only one who expressed his feelings about Saleh’s firing. Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was a favorite of Saleh when he was drafted in 2022, felt a strong connection to his first NFL coach.
ESPN’s Kimberly Martin spoke with Gardner on Thursday about the firing, and he gave an emotional response.
Before Saleh was fired, some Jets fans likely preferred that the team let go of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett instead. Up to this point in the season, it has been the offense that has been holding the Jets back.
Defensively, Saleh and now-interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich were managing a strong defense, which wasn’t surprising. The issue was that Saleh didn’t relieve Hackett of his play-calling duties soon enough.
Fast forward two days, and Ulbrich ended up making that call, regardless. Gardner probably shared the same feelings as many fans. The problems were mostly due to Hackett’s offense and his unwillingness to change. Now, Hackett is still with the team, while Saleh is gone.
This doesn’t seem fair, which is part of why this decision shocked many people.
The Jets will now try to turn things around in Week 6 against the division rival Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. According to Gardner, some players are still going to be playing for their former coach.
