On Tuesday, we saw the first NFL coaching move of the season when the New York Jets parted ways with head coach Robert Saleh. And almost instantly, fans pointed to the seemingly contentious relationship between Saleh and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers and Saleh reportedly had their differences in opinion when it came to the offensive cadence. Pair that with a rather strange moment where Rodgers seemingly rejected an embrace from Saleh during a game, and you have evidence that Rodgers could potentially have been involved with Saleh’s firing.
However, Rodgers has since denied any involvement in the coaching change, telling Pat McAfee of The Pat McAfee Show that he “resents” any of the “false allegations” that he wanted Saleh gone.
“Yeah, I mean 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,” Rodgers told McAfee, transcribed by NFL.com. “It’s a beautiful profession, it’s incredible, it’s done so much for our lives, but it’s also a really tough business.
“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it. And that is that I resent any of those accusations because they’re patently false. It’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t. But I love Robert, and it was one of those days yesterday.”
Rodgers did later admit that he had spoken with Jets owner Woody Johnson a day before the move but hadn’t discussed Saleh’s looming firing.
“Yeah, I did talk to Woody, Woody called me Monday night, we had a short conversation. I appreciated the call, it was a genuine call, and he just asked me how I was doing,” said Rodgers. “Obviously I got rolled up on in the game, and my ankle got pretty banged up, so he just called and was asking how I was doing. And we talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, and that I’m going to play better, and that we’re going to get this thing turned around, and then we hung up. To that point, Woody has no obligation to let me know of what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential.”
It did seem like a genuine answer from Rodgers on the rumors. But with that being said, it did sure seem like Saleh took the fall for a season you could very much blame Rodgers’ less-than-stellar play for thus far.
[NFL.com]
