Shannon Sharpe Shares Unhinged Opinion of Aaron Rodgers After Robert Saleh Firing

The firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday morning drew visceral reactions from seemingly every sports media personality.

There are those who believe Jets owner Woody Johnson prematurely pulled the trigger on firing his head coach just five games into the season, while others were surprised Saleh even made it this long.

For as much heat as Saleh took for the Jets’ lack of success, Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe actually defended Saleh, instead pointing the finger at quarterback Aaron Rodgers instead.

“Saleh didn't lose this team, Aaron Rodgers undercut this man by not coming to minicamp,” Sharpe exclaimed on "First Take." “We heard the mumbles saying how that looked because it was mandatory. The moment Aaron Rodgers did that, Robert Saleh had no control over the team because the guys would be saying, ‘This guy is supposed to be our leader, this is the guy we're supposed to count on.’”

To Sharpe’s point, it’s seemed since Rodgers landed in New York during the 2023 offseason, he’s had carte blanche to act however he sees fit. There is a certain sense of leniency afforded to plays of Rodgers’ caliber (four-time MVP, Super Bowl winner, 10-time Pro Bowler), but his laissez-faire approach to authority didn’t do Saleh any favors.

The morning of his firing, Saleh was reportedly planning to strip play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and move forward with passing game coordinator Todd Downing calling the plays (New York ranked 27th in total offense and 25th in scoring offense.)

But before he got to implement the shake up, Johnson had already made the decision to part ways with the fourth-year head coach. Saleh had a 20-36 record in three-plus seasons in New York. The Jets never won more than seven games in any of his seasons and they never reached the playoffs.

Related: Aaron Rodgers' Reaction to Jets Firing Robert Saleh Will Turn Heads