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Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who owner Woody Johnson fired following the team's Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, is attending the Green Bay Packers' practice today.
Just over two weeks following his dismissal in New York, Saleh watched from the sidelines at Green Bay's practice today. ESPN's Rob Demovsky said the media would “hear from [Packers coach Matt] LaFleur after practice if he’s hired Saleh in some capacity.”
Recently fired Jets coach Robert Saleh is at Packers practice. Long history between him and Matt LaFleur. Also has worked with Jeff Hafley.
We’ll hear from LaFleur after practice if he’s hired Saleh in some capacity.
That’s him on the far sideline watching the offense. pic.twitter.com/JjOFAv1iLa
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 23, 2024
The Jets fired Saleh on Oct. 8, two days after the Jets lost 23-17 to the Vikings in London. Johnson, the team's owner, reportedly walked into Saleh's office on the Tuesday following the loss and relieved Saleh of his duties, which came as a surprise to the coach. Saleh had been the team's head coach since 2021 and had compiled a 20-36 record.
Before becoming the Jets' head coach, Saleh served as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, where he worked alongside current Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. In 2004, Saleh also first met with LaFleur, the Packers' head coach since 2019, when both served as graduate assistants at Central Michigan. The pair of coaches would again work together as part of the 2008 and 2009 Houston Texans coaching staffs.
Robert Saleh's tenure as Jets head coach ended in midseason firing
After the 2020 NFL season, Robert Saleh was reportedly one of the most sought-after head coaching candidates, in large part due to helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl a year earlier. In January 2021, he ultimately signed a deal with the Jets, who had fired Adam Gase after a 2-14 record.
Predictably, things did not go well in Saleh's first season as the team rebuilt. Following a 4-13 record in 2021, the Jets made a leap in 2022 and won seven of their first 11 games. Over the final month or so of the season, though, the Jets lost each and every one of their games; after a 7-4 start, the team, which battled numerous injuries and inconsistent play at quarterback finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs.
Despite the late season collapse in 2022, the hype and expectations went into overdrive ahead of the 2023 season, which marked the arrival of former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A surefire Hall of Famer, Rodgers came to the Jets with a Super Bowl and four MVPs to his name, giving New York's fanbase reason to believe their team was about to take the next step.
However, Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon on the fourth snap of his first game with the Jets, ending his season and his new team's championship aspirations. After the Jets limped to a 7-10 record again, there appeared to be cautious optimism that New York would be able to contend with Rodgers coming back from injury.
That has not been the case so far in 2024. After a season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Jets beat the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, both of whom have proven to be among the worst teams in the NFL. Since Week 3, New York has lost four in a row, the last two of which coming with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich doubling as interim head coach following Saleh's firing.
The Jets hope to get back on track this weekend when they visit the Patriots, who were thoroughly dominated in the first matchup between the teams this season. New England enters Sunday's game on a six-game losing streak, having lost by 16 or more points in four of those losses.
After what should be a reprieve against the Patriots, New York faces the Houston Texans on ‘Thursday Night Football' before playing the Arizona Cardinals and then Indianapolis Colts. The Jets' bye week is Week 12.
