Henry McKenna

NFL reporter

Aaron Rodgers’ coup d’état is complete.

Robert Saleh – the man who shoved Rodgers on live television – is no longer the head coach of the New York Jets. The team fired Saleh on Tuesday.

And Rodgers appears to have increased his influence in New York.

The Jets quarterback has steadily gained control of the organization since New York traded for him in 2023. First, it was thanks to the addition of receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, and then offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

And then there’s the trade we’re all waiting for: the trade for Raiders star receiver Davante Adams.

Now you’re probably thinking: This is silly, Henry. Rodgers didn’t get Saleh fired. Just listen to what Rodgers said about his former head coach.

“There will always be messages and stories, and you have two choices,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “You can ride the wave, basically a roller coaster, or you can say, ‘F… it, I don’t care.’ And I’m the last. I will not go into what the conversation is taking place around me outside the building.

“The relationships I have – the most important ones – are looking a man in the eye, in the locker room or in a conference room, and knowing that he has your back, and you have your back.”

But during his appearances on McAfee’s show, Rodgers streams endlessly are truth – which is often factually incorrect. So pay no mind to my suspicions about his support of Saleh — especially now that the Jets fired him just a few weeks after Rodgers pushed the man on television in front of an audience of millions.

It’s hard to imagine Saleh thinking Rodgers “has his back.”

If Rodgers did that, Saleh would still have a job.

Reaction to the Jets firing head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start

Now, it would have been too obvious that there was a coup if the Jets had put Hackett in as interim coach, because that would simply mean Rodgers was the interim coach. So New York put defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in the gig instead.

Ulbrich is a Saleh guy – they came in together. And so Ulbrich will take full charge of the defense, which has been solid even if the Jets’ opponents haven’t been offensive powerhouses (Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans). However, it remains to be seen if Ulbrich will have any impact on the offense.

Robert Saleh’s attempt to hug Aaron Rodgers did not go as planned while celebrating a touchdown during a game against the Patriots on September 19. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

So that begs the question: was this the right move and will anything change?

It certainly wasn’t pretty in the end for Saleh. Players like running back Breece Hall and rookie receiver Malachi Corley spoke about the trend on offense. (Down.) The root of the problem all season was the foul. They don’t block well in the run game (with missed assignments in week 5) and they are not well coached (with five false starts in week 4). At least Saleh’s defense had players who were among the best in their positions. including CB DJ Reedwho did a great job of locking up Justin Jefferson on Sunday. I was impressed with the Jets’ defensive game plan for the Vikings.

Saleh is the first head coach Woody Johnson has fired midseason during his 25-year ownership tenure. If the Jets were going to fire Saleh, they should have done so this offseason when they had a chance to bring in a new coaching staff. Now they find themselves in limbo, with Rodgers taking on an even more substantial leadership role.

At 2-3 under Saleh, the Jets didn’t look like they were going to win a Super Bowl. But without Saleh, I’m not sure they’ll even make the playoffs.

I suppose the only reason to fire Saleh now was because they clearly planned to do so at the end of the season. So why not get it done and see how many wins the Jets can get to convince Rodgers not to retire? There’s no guarantee that he will remain a Jet after completing his coup against the Jets. By fast-forwarding to the inevitable, the Jets may be able to end the season with a better taste in their mouths. And maybe Rodgers won’t retire.

For now, Johnson has selected three guys to keep things steady: Rodgers, Hackett and Ulbrich.

What could go wrong – except… everything?

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna covered the Patriots for seven years for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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