The Robert Saleh era with the Jets came to a quick, stunning end Tuesday morning.
Owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh, five games into his fourth year as head coach, two days before the Jets lost 23-17 to the Vikings at 10 a.m. in London, their second consecutive upset.
The Jets hired defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbricht as interim head coach.
The move was surprising because of its timing.
The Jets are 2-3 this season with encouraging wins against the Titans and Patriots.
But Saleh, who has a year left on his contract, can’t overcome a 20-36 overall record and a sense that Johnson hasn’t fixed what’s wrong with the Jets, who entered this season with Super Bowl aspirations.
“When I look at this team, I’ve been doing this for 25 years now and this is the best team I’ve had in 25 years,” Johnson said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon. “And I felt the best way forward was a new direction. I thought that would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance we all wanted going into the playoffs.
This is the first time Johnson has replaced an interim coach as a franchise.
Johnson, 77, became angry following the Jets’ 10-9 loss to the Broncos last week, according to sources.
He wanted Saleh to make radical changes.
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Sale instead preached patience, but Johnson was out of it.
Later, the jets crashed in London, where Johnson served as US ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017-21 under former President Donald Trump.
Johnson had a long flight home to ponder the team’s future and decided to sack Salle on Tuesday morning.
Saleh put in the work to prepare for the game plan for the Jets’ opponent, the Bills, on Monday night.
Just before 10 a.m., Johnson and his brother Christopher walked into Saleh’s office to deliver the news. Salah wanted to say goodbye to the team but was not given the chance.
He was asked to leave the building.
Johnson said the decision was not based on the past two losses, but rather on Saleh’s work.
“The last two games alone have not hastened this decision. It’s a long time frame,” Johnson said. “I’ve had two years to think about it. Yes, I think we can do better. The team can perform better. As the team realizes what an opportunity this is for them, I think they’re going to go to a level we haven’t seen in a while.
Johnson brought Saleh back last year after a second consecutive 7-10 season, with the understanding that he would leave if the team floundered this year.
Saleh expected to get a full season to make a playoff push with Aaron Rodgers, but only got five games.
Sources said Johnson is fed up with the same problems the team has had over the past few years — slow starts, high penalties and boring offensive play.
The Jets expected things to change with Rodgers at quarterback, but they still have the same formula of stifling an opponent defensively and then losing them games with offensive mistakes.
The Jets did not fire offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, but sources said before he was fired, Saleh was preparing to take play-calling duties from him and give them to the team’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Todd Downing.
Ulbricht said he would take a “deep dive” into the offensive struggles and indicated he would consider having a new play-caller.
He said he doesn’t expect any changes in staff.
“I think that’s exactly one of the reasons I decided to make a coaching change: We have to find ways to win,” Johnson said. “So we’re not going to find those ways by doing the same thing over and over again. I think Jeff is going to add something. He’s going to add a spark of positivity. We’re going to make the changes we need to make on offense. We’re going to try to get better. It’s a new opportunity for all of us.
Johnson said he spoke with Rodgers on Monday night, but they did not discuss Saleh’s future.
There is no indication from any sources that Rodgers was involved in this decision.
Players privately expressed shock at Saleh’s sacking. He was popular in the locker room and the players played even harder for him.
Johnson said he consulted with general manager Joe Douglas, but Johnson insisted it was his decision. It was the first offseason coaching change for the Jets since 1976, when Lou Holtz left in one game.
“I’ve had enough experience doing these things,” Johnson said. “It’s the first time I’ve done it so early. I thought and I think this talented team will help us achieve the goals that the team wants and I want and the fans want.
