Robert Saleh has been fired as head coach of the New York Jets after Sunday’s defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, according to reports.
The Jets have endured a miserable start to the NFL season despite star quarterback Aaron Rodgers being back to full health, with their latest setback against the Vikings leaving them with a losing 2-3 record.
And just days on from that loss to Minnesota in London – where he controversially wore a Lebanon flag on the sidelines – ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Saleh has been relieved of his duties in New York.
It is believed Jets owner Woody Johnson plans to appoint a new head coach by Monday, when they host the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.
Until a permanent replacement is finalized, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is expected to take interim charge of the team.
Robert Saleh has been fired as head coach of the New York Jets after their latest defeat
Saleh, who became the NFL’s first ever Muslim-American head coach when he joined the Jets in 2021, departs with a dismal 20-36 record after failing to make the playoffs in each of his three full seasons.
The Lebanese-American went through six different starting quarterbacks in his time at MetLife; with Rodgers coming after Zach Wilson, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Joe Flacco.Â
His firing on Tuesday marks the very first time Johnson has dropped the axe on a head coach in the middle of a season in his 25 years as owner. The last head coach the Jets had to replace mid-season was Lou Holtz back in 1976.
There were high hopes for the Jets in the 2024 season with Rodgers back to full fitness, following the nightmare Achilles injury he suffered four snaps into his debut last term.
Yet even with the four-time MVP available, they have struggled for form in the first five games of the campaign, including in a disastrous 10-9 home loss to the Broncos.
And while Sunday’s shortcoming against the 5-0 Vikings was by no means as humiliating, Johnson has ultimately decided Saleh is not the right man to take his team forward.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, his dismissal as head coach has taken New York players by surprise, particularly those on the defense.Â
Saleh is understood to have arrived at the team’s practice facility for business as usual before he was informed of the decision taken by the ownership.
