Kyle Shanahan Offers Bold 4-Word Response to Robert Saleh Firing

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was reportedly caught by surprise when the team decided to fire him on Tuesday despite a 2-3 start and a chance to grab an early division lead next week.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn't see the move coming, either.

Jets owner Woody Johnson announced on October 8 that Saleh was fired, a move that came just one day after the Jets coach told reporters he wasn't panicking about his team's slow start to the season. The Jets host the 3-2 Buffalo Bills on Monday in a game that could give them a share of the division lead and an important early tiebreaker.

Speaking to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday, Shanahan offered a blunt reaction to the news.

"I was pretty shocked," Shanahan said.

Shanahan added that he had texted Saleh but didn't have a chance to talk to him yet. The 49ers head coach expressed surprise that the Jets would pull off the move now, when the season is still young and the team still in contention.

"That stuff throws you off, especially when they're competing for first in the division this week and I think they're up there on defense and have got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year," Shanahan said. "So that was pretty surprising.”

Related: Jets Owner Clears the Air on Aaron Rodgers' Role in Robert Saleh Firing