Rodgers told reporters later Thursday that he had an indication that a change in the number of play-callers was likely.

“I knew there would be changes after they let Robert go,” Rodgers said. “I’ve had conversations with (Ulbrich) over the last two days. I knew he was thinking about it, learning from it, and I told him I would support him no matter what he decided.”

Rodgers and Hackett have not produced at the level most expected of them over the past five weeks. Aside from their dominant performance against the lowly Patriots in Week 3, almost everything was a challenge for Rodgers and the Jets’ offense, and with Hackett failing to come up with favorable plans, Ulbrich decided now was the time to to turn to his quarterbacks coach and pass. coordinator for a fresh look at the offense.

The change could be eerily similar to last season in Philadelphia, in which Nick Sirianni replaced defensive coordinator Sean Desai with Matt Patricia in the role, but not in the title. Desai ended up in the slot while Patricia took over defensive play-calling duties in Week 15 of the 2023 season, and unfortunately for those Eagles, the change didn’t yield the desired improvement.

However, the stakes are different in New York. Rodgers is 40 years old and has brought a sense of urgency to the Jets that was extreme enough to prompt owner Woody Johnson to fire Saleh after the 2-3 start. Judging from the tone of Ulbrich’s statements Thursday, his decision appeared to be the only way to keep Hackett’s job.

“I say that too, just a testament to the person that Nathaniel Hackett is, the fact that he’s going to give us everything in his body, heart and soul, and he’s going to continue to be a big part of the success that we have” We will have to move forward from an offensive perspective,” Ulbrich said. “I feel so lucky to have him stay with us.”

Ulbrich added that Hackett will “still be a big contributor to everything we do on offense,” and Rodgers later said that Hackett staying with the Jets speaks to who he is as a person.

“I love Nathaniel. He’s one of my dearest friends in the league,” Rodgers said. “It’s obviously a difficult situation. But I think it speaks volumes about the character he has and that he wants to stay. Be here for me, be here for Todd – support Todd. It’s a credit to the man he is .” “

However, it is clear that immediate results will be more important in this case than others as the clock is ticking on the Rodgers-led Jets.

As for the remaining impact of Saleh’s firing, Ulbrich said he will “retain the title of defensive coordinator” and “retain the play-calling duties.”

Now that that has been arranged, all that remains is production. Their journey resumes with a Monday night showdown against the division rival Bills.