Bill Belichick sat down with New York Jets owner Woody Johnson on Monday night over his decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh last week.

Belichick, who spoke to Peyton and Eli Manning on ESPN’s alternate broadcast Monday night during the Jets’ 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, absolutely ridiculed Johnson.

“It seemed pretty early to me to make a coaching change,” Manning said.

“Yeah, well see, that’s kind of what it was there with the Jets,” Belichick responded. “They have barely gained more than 30% in the last ten years. The owner is the owner, just ready, shoot, aim.

The Jets fired Saleh on Tuesday, just five games into the season. Saleh was hired ahead of the 2021 campaign in what was his first head coaching job in the league. He finished 20-36 and never had a winning season. The Jets promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach.

The decision to fire Saleh surprised many people in the NFL world. Johnson said he felt Saleh did not live up to expectations.

Belichick worked for the organization, famously serving as head coach for a day before abruptly resigning, and spent more than two decades battling Johnson while managing the New England Patriots.

Johnson bought the Jets in 2000, the same year Belichick took over in New England after a stint as the Jets’ defensive coordinator. During that time, Belichick — with the help of quarterback Tom Brady — won six Super Bowls and 17 division titles. The Jets have won the AFC East once and have made six playoff appearances in that same span. They haven’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 season and have spent eight seasons without a winning record.

Belichick and the Patriots parted ways earlier this year and he has now moved to a media role at ESPN. That will of course lead to even more sharp criticism from the head coach, who was known for his relatively cautious and gruff attitude.

But when it comes to the way the Jets are managed, Belichick thought Saleh did a good job.