Ex-NFL star Jamaal Charles gives his thoughts on Robert Saleh firing
Former NFL All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles says fired New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn't to blame for the team's druthers.
The New York Jets may have gotten rid of their head coach, but now, the pressure is on.
Gang Green surprisingly fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday morning, a move that sent shock waves throughout the sports world.
The move came after back-to-back losses, an embarrassing 10-9 loss at home to the Denver Broncos and then their 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.
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New York Jets coach Robert Saleh reacts against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Apparently, team owner Woody Johnson had seen enough. He claims he made the decision by his own doing, although there is understandably lots of speculation.
Former All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles feels for Saleh, who had to take over and watch putrid quarterback play for the large bulk of his tenure there, including Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and others.
"The last couple years, they haven't been playing so well, but it had a lot to do with the quarterback play. He didn't have some of the best quarterbacks, now they got Aaron [Rodgers] at the back end of his career," the former Kansas City Chiefs star told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I feel bad for him, because it's not all his fault. The Jets, it's not up to my standard for play-calling, but you have to start with him because he's the leader of the team. If you're gonna fire anybody, you're going to fire the leader."
For the Jets, it is all part of cleaning up the mess, which Charles can attest to. He spoke to Fox News Digital as part of his new partnership with Tide, which he says is the "best smelling product" out there.
"I got daughters that play sports, kids be crazy, so Tide is a big part of my house. They play a lot of youth sports, and with that happening, we do a lot of cleaning," Charles said.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, left, speaks as Aaron Rodgers, #8, walks off the field in the first half as the Denver Broncos edged the New York Jets 10-9 at MetLife Stadium. (Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
With Saleh out, there is lots of speculation that Aaron Rodgers has his fingerprints all over the move. Nathaniel Hackett still has his job despite questionable play-calling and continued poor offensive play, and Saleh was reportedly fired "roughly five minutes" after making the decision to take play-calling duties away from Hackett, who has long been connected with Rodgers.
Charles stopped short of saying Rodgers "had his fingerprints on it," but he did hint that Rodgers' voice may have been heard.
"I don't think he had his fingerprints [on the firing] but as a player, you want to get input from players. You should have input," Charles said.
Considering Rodgers does have influence in the locker room, the pressure is on, Charles added.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, left, and owner Woody Johnson interact during New York Jets Mandatory Minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on June 11, 2024 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
"You still have to be successful. You still have to be performing at a high level. He can ask for all these people but you still gotta perform at a high level. You can ask for all these people but you still gotta perform. You're not performing and asking for this, that's a lot on you. You gotta still go out there and lead your team to a win. If not, you shouldn't have that power to request things. As players, when you perform, you get paid good. If you don't perform good, you get released."
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Saleh had been the Jets’ head coach since 2021 after spending four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator. He was 20-36 as Jets head coach and never won more than seven games while at the helm.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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