The broad speculation is that New York Jets star quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a role in head coach Robert Saleh’s firing, but Rodgers did his best to silence that notion.
The Jets fired Saleh on Tuesday, apparently shortly after he had made the decision to take play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who has long been tied to Rodgers.
Hackett was Rodgers’ offensive coordinator in Green Bay from 2019 to 2021, revitalizing the quarterback’s career. Rodgers won the league MVP award in 2020 and 2021. The Jets hired Hackett just before trading for Rodgers, seemingly as a way to lure him to New York.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, claims he had no involvement in head coach Robert Saleh’s firing, but ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, left, isn’t totally buying his story. (IMAGN/Getty Images)
Lots of football fans have attempted to connect the dots, but Jets owner Woody Johnson said it was strictly his decision, and Rodgers “resent[ed]” the “ridiculous allegations” that he played a role in Saleh’s firing, which he called “patently false.”
But Stephen A. Smith still thinks something is fishy. In fact, Smith says Rodgers may be beating around the bush.
“If you’re Aaron Rodgers, yeah, you didn’t go into the office and say, ‘I want him fired.’ You didn’t go into the office and say, ‘I want him out.’ That may be true,” Smith said. “But don’t act like you are completely oblivious to what was going on, what the tenor of the situation was like, how things were eroding before our very eyes and that the owner wouldn’t take notice of all of these things.
“And somehow, someway, when y’all got on the phone with one another, y’all were talking about the chocolate chip cookies and the milk you were drinking,” he quipped.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh as Aaron Rodgers of the Jets 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)
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“Just stop that nonsense. It’s amazing how it’s so difficult for folks to just simply tell the truth. It’s not like we’re completely oblivious and not cognizant of what the hell is going on. And when Aaron Rodgers tried to give that impression, that’s when I think the believability factor went out the window.”
Rodgers has appeared deceitful before, once telling reporters he was “immunized” from COVID-19 when asked if he was vaccinated. He has since regretted it.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Tottenham, England, on Sunday. (Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images)
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Saleh was fired Tuesday morning after more than three seasons with the Jets. New York was off to a 2-3 start after back-to-back losses, but has a chance to take over first place in the division with a win Monday night over the Buffalo Bills.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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