The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh following the team’s 2-3 start to the season. Owner Woody Johnson announced that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take over as interim head coach.
New York hired Saleh back in 2021, however the team struggled to find consistency during his tenure, posting a 20-36 record during that span.
“This morning, I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets. I thanked him for his hard work these past three-and-a-half years and wished him and his family well moving forward. This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Jeff Ulbrich will serve as our Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season. He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”
News of the firing comes two days after the Jets dropped their London Series contest against the Minnesota Vikings 23-17. According to reports, Saleh came close to being fired at the end of last season after posting a 7-10 record, but was ultimately spared given the carousel of quarterbacks the team was forced to dress throughout the season.
With Aaron Rodgers finally healthy, expectations for the team were high entering the season, with many sports books seeing heavy action on a potential Jets Super Bowl victory in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season.
However, with Rodgers and Saleh seemingly on different pages through 5 weeks, Johnson made the first in season firing of a head coach in 25 years for New York.
Ulbrich is largely expected to receive a long leash to prove that he’s the right man for the job, however regardless of how the season plays out, New York is expected to cast a wider net in the search for a permanent head coach this offseason.
New York is slated to host Buffalo in a pivotal AFC East showdown on Monday night. Both Miami and New England appear to be headed towards top 10 picks in the upcoming NFL draft, making the division a 2 horse race for the remainder of the season.
Kickoff takes place at 8:15pm ET on October 14th.
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.