On Sunday night, the New York Jets arrived back home from their trip to England with a 2-3 record.
Up until Monday, when team owner Woody Johnson sacked head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, their leadership structure remained in place.
Johnson gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers a call on Monday night in the interim.
When you combine that talk’s date with a few notable arguments between Rodgers and Saleh, rumors about the four-time MVP’s involvement in the firing started to circulate.
During his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday afternoon, Rodgers referred to the accusations as “nonsense.”
Rodgers remarked, “I hate any of those claims because they’re blatantly untrue.” It’s remarkable how much influence people believe I possess. which I do not. Yesterday was just one of those days, and I adore Robert.”
In his almost hour-long interview with McAfee, Rodgers complimented Saleh for his leadership, calling him a “major reason why I came to the Jets” and stating that “we have a really good relationship.”
He noted that Johnson called him during his Achilles surgery last year and during his recuperation, adding that “nothing seemed strange” about the call.
According to Johnson and Rodgers, they talked about the Minnesota Vikings’ 23-17 victory on Sunday, Rodgers’ throwing record of 60,000 yards, and the knocks he took, one of which damaged his left ankle.
The two men claimed that they did not talk about Saleh’s future, claiming that Johnson made the decision alone.
“It is not incumbent upon Woody to inform me of his plans,” stated Rodgers. It didn’t matter if he understood what he was doing at the time.
“I think Aaron handled this the hardest of all of us.”
When the news alert went out on Tuesday morning, Rodgers was being treated at the facility. Morgan Moses, a right tackle, was working out. Thomas Morstead, a 16-year veteran, didn’t see the alert until his neighbor texted him.
The players’ leadership council soon met with Woody and Chris Johnson, the other team owners, and Jeff Ulbrich joined shortly after, having been promoted from defensive coordinator to temporary coach.
The players-only meeting was called by the leadership council, and Ulbrich then led a team meeting with discussions breaking down by position group.
The players emphasized responsibility and reminded one another that their work directly affects one another’s ability to keep their jobs. When the head coach who fought for many of their roster positions was removed, they revealed their fragility in the midst of what Morstead referred to as the “natural volatility.”
“In a sense, we hold each other’s careers in our hands,” Morstead stated in a video interview on Wednesday. “We’re not only interested in ourselves.”
As Saleh’s wife and kids deal with the firing, Rodgers conveyed his condolences, especially for Saleh’s son Adam, whom Rodgers had thrown around during training camp.
Rodgers stated, “There’s the humanity in all of this.” A family and their extended relatives are in great pain. Thus, keep in mind that there is a human element to this when you’re out there enjoying it.
The players observed that Saleh’s firing and the players-only meeting that followed came at an odd time and in an unexpected way. The squad has already been eliminated from the playoffs early in the season. The Jets will lead the AFC East if they defeat the Buffalo Bills in a Monday night home game. Their postseason aspirations are well within grasp, and as early as Monday, dominating their playoff trajectory may be feasible.
According to tight end Tyler Conklin, players-only meeting attendees on Tuesday included Rodgers, Morstead, and Moses among others who conveyed the same message.
Conklin further emphasized to the players that stories about him being involved in Saleh’s removal were untrue by mentioning how the player’s reaction to the news “weighed heavy on Rodgers.”
Conklin remarked, “Aaron probably took this harder than anybody.” The group that Coach Saleh and [offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett put together and the environment that Coach Saleh created here were two of the primary reasons he came here.
