Jets fire Robert Saleh after 2-3 start, tab Jeff Ulbrich interim

The New York Jets fired coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday amid the team’s 2-3 start to the season, owner Woody Johnson announced. 

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the interim head coach.

“This morning, I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets. I thanked him for his hard work these past three-and-a-half years and wished him and his family well moving forward. This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement.

“Jeff Ulbrich will serve as our Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season. He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”

Saleh, who was hired by the Jets in 2021, had a 20-36 record as the team’s head coach.

Saleh’s firing marks the first time in Johnson’s 25-year tenure that he has fired a coach in the middle of the season. After last season, a 7-10 finish, Johnson acknowledged that he was livid with the outcome and raised the stakes for Saleh by demanding significant improvement.

Saleh becomes the third NFL coach to be fired after losing a game in London, according to ESPN Research. The  Raiders fired coach Dennis Allen in 2014 the day after they lost 38-14 to the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium, while the Dolphins fired coach Joe Philbin in 2015 the day after they lost 27-14 to the Jets at Wembley. Saleh’s firing comes two days after the Jets lost 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Saleh’s firing comes a day after he said he was confident the Jets would be able to turn things around after losing two straight games.

“There’s so much football to be played,” Saleh said Monday. “There’s so many things that we can get better at, and there’s so many things that we can continue to build on, the things that we are doing well.

“So, I’m not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked.”

The Jets entered the 2024 season with high expectations, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury that had derailed his 2023 season after just four plays, but they have struggled on offense.

There were questions about Saleh’s relationship with the 40-year-old Rodgers, but both denied any friction as recently as last week in London when the quarterback said “there’s some driving force trying to put a wedge outside the facility” between the two.

“We’re really good friends,” Rodgers said. “We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day in his office talking about things and talking about the energy of the team, focus of the team and what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out. So, we’ve got a great relationship.”

The Jets started six different quarterbacks in Saleh’s four seasons: Zach Wilson (33 games), Mike White (7), Rodgers (6), Joe Flacco (5), Trevor Siemian (3) and Tim Boyle (2).

Saleh’s tenure was marked by strong defense and poor offense, largely due to the quarterback instability. In his first season, the Jets drafted Wilson second overall, but he struggled mightily and eventually was benched and replaced last season by Rodgers, who tore his Achilles on the fourth snap of the season.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini and The Associated Press contributed to this report.