'Patently false': Aaron Rodgers denies he played a role in firing of Jets coach

Aaron Rodgers insisted he played no role in the firing of Robert Saleh as the New York Jets coach and called such allegations “patently false".

The star quarterback made his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday morning (AEDT), a day after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh after the team got off to a 2-3 start in the coach's fourth season.

There was speculation by some media and fans that Rodgers might have had a hand in influencing Johnson, who said during a conference call the decision was "my decision and my decision alone".

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Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the Jets' interim head coach the rest of the season.

“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it," Rodgers said.

“And that is I resent any of those accusations because they’re patently false. And it’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t."

Rodgers confirmed he spoke to Johnson on Monday night during a “nice call,” but said the owner simply asked him how he was feeling after spraining his left ankle in the Jets' loss to Minnesota in London the day before. Both Johnson and Rodgers said there was no talk of Saleh's future.

"We had a short conversation. I appreciated the call. It was a genuine call and he just asked me how I was doing," Rodgers said.

"Obviously, I had gotten rolled up on in the game and my ankle got pretty banged up, so he just called and was asking how I was doing.

"We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance and that I'm going to play better, and we're going to turn this thing around, and then we hung up.

"At that point, Woody had no obligation to let me know of what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential. I just appreciated the call that he was checking on me. It was just like a friend calling, 'Hey man, I saw that hit in the game. You doing OK?' And we had a nice, short five-minute conversation and then that was that."

“Woody has no obligation to let me know what his plans are,” Rodgers added. “I just appreciated the call that he was checking on me.”

However, a CBS Sports reports claims Saleh was planning to fire offensive coordinator and long-time Rodgers favourite Nathaniel Hackett but Johnson acted before that could happen.

Other reports state Saleh was marched out of the building by security after the being told of the decision, which coach said "blindsided" him.

Hackett's offence sits at 27th and 25th in yards and points and the team could only muster nine points the week before in the loss to Denver. And that was before the team went down 23-17 to Minnesota.

Hackett spent time with Rodgers at Green Bay and was his offensive coordinator during his two recent MVP seasons at the Packers and was brought to the Jets to bring a sense familiarity for Rodgers.

Rodgers spoke about how the move to fire Saleh was a reminder of how football “is a tough business" and there's a human aspect to decisions such as this. He cited Saleh's family, including one of the coach's seven kids with whom he grew close during the team's training sessions. Rodgers also reiterated he and Saleh were not at odds.

“I love Coach Saleh,” Rodgers said. “We have a very solid relationship. ... He was a big reason why I came to the Jets.”

The four-time NFL MVP was acquired by New York in April 2023 from Green Bay. With his arrival came Super Bowl expectations, but Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut last season — and the Jets finished 7-10 without him.

New York entered this season with similar aspirations, but a two-game skid and inconsistent play by Rodgers and the offense had Johnson concerned the team was headed in the wrong direction.

Rodgers spoke often about the players taking accountability, himself included.

“I've got to play better — I will,” Rodgers insisted. “We've got a lot to play for.”

The Jets play the Buffalo Bills on Monday night at home and a victory would give them a share of first place in the AFC East.

Rodgers said the team is embracing Ulbrich and reiterated some of the coach's comments Tuesday that there has to be some change moving forward with new leadership.

Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's status as the primary play caller is uncertain. Hackett and Rodgers have a strong relationship from their time together in Green Bay. But the quarterback said he's “on board” with whatever changes Ulbrich makes.