The shock firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 has left the team upended in the middle of the NFL season. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who joined the team last year to much fanfare, denied he had a hand in Saleh's dismissal.
Rodgers reflected on Saleh's tenure in an Oct. 9 appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
"Yesterday was a day that reminds you of the simple fact that all of us who've played know all too well, and that's that it's a tough business," he said honestly. "It's a beautiful profession; it's incredible. It's done so much for our lives, but it's also a really tough business."
"I love Coach Saleh. We have a very solid relationship. We have since I met him in 2021," he continued. "He was a big reason why I came to the Jets. I felt like the team was a solid team." Saleh signed a five-year contract with the Jets in 2021 for his first head coaching job in the NFL.
Related: Aaron Rodgers Has Lofty Super Bowl Ambitions With the Jets
Rodgers went on to describe Saleh's home life with his wife and seven kids, noting that the "emotions" around the situation could take a toll on the coach's loved ones as well. He also took a moment to shut down any rumors that he played a role in Saleh's removal.
"As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I'm not gonna spend more than one sentence in response to it, and that is that I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false," he stated plainly. "It's interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don't."
In the end, Rodgers is grateful to have worked with Saleh. "I'm thankful for Robert," he concluded. "I'm thankful for his leadership of our team, I'm thankful for the conversations that we were able to have, and him trusting me, and the way he cared about his players."
Saleh's overall regular season record with the Jets sits at 20–36. The Jets have a 2–3 record so far this season and are set to take on the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 14.
