As the dust settles from the Jets' decision to fire Robert Saleh, it was only a matter of time before Aaron Rodgers would be asked about his former coach's departure.
The quarterback made one point explicitly clear during his Wednesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show: He had nothing to do with it.
"Yeah, I mean yesterday was a day that reminds you of the simple fact that all of us who've played know all too well, and that's that it's a tough business," Rodgers said. "It's a beautiful profession, it's incredible, it's done so much for our lives, but it's also a really tough business.
"As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I'm not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it. And that is that I resent any of those accusations because they're patently false. It's interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don't. But I love Robert, and it was one of those days yesterday."
Much has been made of Rodgers' influence on the organization since he arrived via trade in 2023. The addition of a future Hall of Famer of Rodgers' caliber instantly speeds up a franchise's competitive clock, adding immense pressure to produce. Through five weeks, the Jets haven't done so, losing two straight games in relatively ugly fashion to fall to 2-3.
That prompted owner Woody Johnson to dismiss Saleh and promote defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim coach on Tuesday, a decision Rodgers said the owner made without his quarterback's input, even if they did speak on the eve of Saleh's firing.
"Yeah, I did talk to Woody, Woody called me Monday night, we had a short conversation. I appreciated the call, it was a genuine call, and he just asked me how I was doing," Rodgers explained on Wednesday. "Obviously I got rolled up on in the game, and my ankle got pretty banged up, so he just called and was asking how I was doing. And we talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, and that I'm going to play better, and that we're going to get this thing turned around, and then we hung up.
"To that point, Woody has no obligation to let me know of what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential."
It is interesting that Johnson fired a defensive-minded coach in Saleh and replaced him with his defensive coordinator, especially considering many of the Jets' current problems reside on the offensive side of the ball. New York held Denver to 10 points in Week 4, then caused Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to produce his worst game with Minnesota so far this season, yet they lost both games.
Some may wonder why offensive coordinator -- and close friend of Rodgers -- Nathaniel Hackett was spared. Rodgers didn't offer much insight on why Johnson chose this direction but admitted the offense needs to be better.
"I think that there were going to be some things that needed to change, regardless of what happened to Robert, and we just haven't been playing consistent football on offense," Rodgers said. "And as we know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, so when you have a couple games, and obviously I didn't play well, but we just don't play very efficiently, you've got to adjust some things. So it's a part of our game, change is a part of our sport.
"I know there's a lot of things that were swirling out there but at this point, (Ulbrich) and I have talked a couple times and yeah, I'm on board with whatever he decides as far as the offense goes. I want to do what's best for the team, and we're throwing our support behind coach Ulbrich and whatever he believes is best for the team is what we're going to go with."
Rodgers knows he isn't without fault through five weeks, admitting he could have played better Sunday in a game in which he threw three interceptions. He's also 40 years old and has been in the NFL long enough to know nothing lasts forever. Change is constant, and only those capable of adapting will survive.
His next challenge: Fall in line behind his interim coach and lead from there. In order to make Rodgers' decision to join the Jets worthwhile, New York will need to be better offensively, regardless of who is coaching them. That ultimately falls on Rodgers, who has spoken at length about his dwindling time remaining in the NFL and the urgency it produces.
There's no better time than now to operate with such urgency, especially after his teammates were reminded of how fickle the NFL can be from week to week.
"I expect a steady hand from him and great leadership. He's a former player, knows what it's like to be in the locker room, and I think he's going to do a great job," Rodgers said of Ulbrich. "But the most important thing is that there has to be some change. Even just the smallest change. We need as players to take accountability for what happened. I think that's the thing that hits you too, in the moment, is, if I'd played better on Sunday, this doesn't happen. And as somebody who takes a lot of pride in their performance. That was the main sentiment for me yesterday.
"Obviously, heart going out to Robert because of how much I respect him and care about him, and then just the disappointment of poor play that could've avoided a situation like we've had. I think it's a good perspective moment for all of us to reset mentally. A lot of stuff is right in front of us, starting this week with a division opponent, a chance to get to 3-3 and be tied for the division lead. ... There's always that run in the season where you hit it and you want to be playing the best in the winter months, and I think there's a lot that's in front of us, and I'm excited about getting back to it tomorrow."
The Jets host the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 14 at MetLife Stadium.
