Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was reportedly planning to make a major change within his staff prior to being fired.
Saleh was fired by the Jets on Tuesday in a move that is said to have blindsided him and many others within the organization. A few theories have since emerged about why the team decided to move on from Saleh in the middle of the season. One report claimed Saleh was on the verge of firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who is close with Aaron Rodgers. That led to some speculation that Rodgers might have stepped in to save his friend’s job, which factored into the Jets’ decision to fire Saleh.
According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Saleh was not planning to fire Hackett. However, just minutes before the Jets fired Saleh, the former coach had decided he was going to demote Hackett and give play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Todd Downing.
SOURCES: Former #Jets HC Robert Saleh was never going to fire offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. That was not happening.
However he was going to demote his game day responsibilities this week. Saleh made decision to give play-calling to Todd Downing because of the… pic.twitter.com/nYJewU5KYv
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) October 8, 2024
Hughes also noted that it is possible interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich will follow throw with demoting Hackett. If that does happen, it would cast a lot of doubt on the theory that Rodgers went to bat for Hackett and got Saleh fired instead.
Rodgers and Hackett worked together in Green Bay when Hackett was the offensive coordinator of the Packers from 2019-2021. That relationship helped Hackett get the job with the Jets. Rodgers passionately defended Hackett last year when Sean Payton took aim at the coach over Hackett’s disastrous 2022 season with the Denver Broncos.
There was also some obvious tension between Saleh and Rodgers in recent weeks.
The Jets have a lot of issues to fix on offense, and it is fair to wonder if firing Saleh will help address them. Perhaps demoting Hackett would make a difference, though Ulbrich might be hesitant to do that if Rodgers is opposed to it.
