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It’s not a surprise that an NFL coach with a .357 winning percentage gets fired, but it is surprising that it happens five games into a season and on a day the coach reports for work to prepare for the next game as Robert Saleh did on Tuesday morning.

And yet, Saleh is out now as the New York Jets coach. 

Fired. 

The Jets informed Saleh he is no longer their head coach Tuesday morning, in a move that was very surprising to Saleh himself, per a source. 

Decision Straight From Ownership

Saleh is finished with the team that has a 2-3 record now.  He leaves with a 20-36 record five games into his fourth season with the team. 

Multiple sources confirmed to OutKick that Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been named the team’s new interim coach. The club has confirmed this.

(The flirtation with former Jets assistant and six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick will have to wait until after the season.)

Jets General manager Joe Douglas, similarly unsuccessful at putting a winning team on the field, remains for now. He was hired in 2019 and the Jets have never had a winning season since Douglas has been the GM.

It should be understood Douglas did not fire Saleh. That decision was made directly by owner Woody Johnson.

Johnson had never fired a coach in-season – until Tuesday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets celebrates with Aaron Rodgers #8 after a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in the game at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers Role In Firing

So why is this happening now?

Johnson said it was results. That’s obvious. The Jets themselves said they were among the teams that should be competing for a Super Bowl this season. But right now they’re only competing to get back to .500.

And that comes with fallout. What fallout?

Let’s begin with Rodgers.

He is not been a big fan of Saleh. That is obviously not the sole reason Saleh is gone, but this bears mentioning because sources say Rodgers’ feelings about his coach are known throughout the organization.

“It’s not that he hates Robert, he doesn’t,” a club source told OutKick. “But let’s just say he isn’t a huge fan. Up until now, everyone kind of looked at that as Aaron being Aaron because he’s not a huge fan of a lot of coaches he’s had. 

“But in the end, it probably played a role here.”

You’ll recall several weeks ago Rodgers seemed annoyed Saleh suggested the team had to address cadence used by Rodgers as a way avoiding pre-snap penalties.

Rodgers snapped when the suggestion was made, saying publicly that another way to deal with pre-snap penalties was to hold players accountable.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – AUGUST 24: Jeff Ulbrich of the New York Jets looks on against the New York Giants before a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 24, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Jeff Ulbrich Interim Head Coach

Saleh walked back the comments which showed he didn’t want a battle with Rodgers – much less one waged in public.

This plus Saleh’s inability to have his teams play with urgency at the start of games with any consistency and a general feeling he was losing his leadership grip led to his ouster.

Ulbrich, 47, is a former NFL player who played linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. He was Saleh’s defensive coordinator and ran the Saleh system. 

Ulbrich is widely respected by players in the Jets locker room, according to a source. Even Rodgers has spoken highly of him in the past.

And that matters with the Jets.