Stumbling New York Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh after 2-3 start | New York Jets

The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh after an inconsistent start to the season.

The Jets’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London left them with a 2-3 record. Saleh’s overall record with the Jets is 20-36. The team’s defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, will take over for the remainder of the season and lead the Jets for their next game, against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

“This morning I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as head coach of the Jets. I thanked him for his hard work over the last three and a half years and wished him and his family all the best for the future. “This was not an easy decision, but we are not where our expectations should be and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction,” Jets co-owner Woody Johnson said in an explanation.

“Jeff Ulbrich… is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe that, together with the coaches on this team, he can bring out the best in our talented team and achieve the goals we set for ourselves this offseason.”

Saleh was considered a rising star when the Jets hired him in 2021 after a successful stint as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, was also the first Muslim head coach in NFL history. He helped turn the Jets into a defensive force, but couldn’t do the same for their offense, which struggled due to poor quarterback play as the Jets finished last in the AFC East in his first two seasons . While Saleh had to deal with six different starting quarterbacks during his time with the Jets, he was also part of the leadership team when New York selected Zach Wilson, who has struggled mightily in the NFL, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

There were signs of a revival last season when the Jets traded four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who it was hoped could lead a team full of young stars back to the postseason. But Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon on the first drive of the season, ruling him out for the rest of the season, and the Jets limped to a 7-10 record.

Rodgers recovered in time for the start of the 2024 season, but at 40, he is no longer the force he once was, and the quarterback had to deny that there was tension between him and Saleh.

Some may view Saleh’s dismissal as hasty. He was hired for his defensive mind, and the Jets were still relatively strong in that department. Although the team is 2-3, it is just one game behind the Bills and could clinch first place in the AFC East if it beats Buffalo on Monday. Sunday’s loss came against the Vikings, who are undefeated this season.

Team owners Christopher and Woody Johnson now have to look for a new head coach. Jets fans would be forgiven for doubting that the Johnsons will make the right choice: overseeing a team that has missed the playoffs every season since 2010.

Saleh had attracted attention after he wore the Lebanese flag on his sleeve during Sunday’s game after the country came under Israeli airstrikes.