ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe has accused Aaron Rodgers of being responsible for the dismissal of head coach Robert Saleh and the chaos within the New York Jets in a scathing attack.
Saleh was fired by Jets owner Woody Johnson Tuesday morning – just days after defeat to the Minnesota Vikings amid a miserable start to the 2024 season.
However, Sharpe, who looked shocked to discover the news live on air with his First Take colleagues Stephen A. Smith, Domonique Foxworth and Molly Qerim, instead blamed quarterback Rodgers for the state of disarray in New York.
In a blistering rant, the former tight end blamed the four-time MVP for forcing the head coach out of the door with his undermining tactics.
‘Saleh didn’t lose this team,’ Sharpe insisted on the ESPN morning show. ‘Aaron Rodgers undercut this man by not coming to minicamp. We heard the mumbles saying how that looked because it was mandatory.
Aaron Rodgers has been blamed for the dismissal of Jets head coach by Shannon Sharpe
Robert Saleh has been fired as head coach of the New York Jets after their latest defeat
‘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.”‘
Rodgers skipped the Jets’ mandatory minicamp in June to visit the banks of the Nile after participating in voluntary OTAs.
The team ruled that Rodgers’ absence was ‘unexcused’ resulting in over $100,000 in fines for the decorated quarterback, who was closing in on a return to the field at the beginning of the season after rupturing his Achilles last year.
The issue raised concerns over tensions within the Jets camp ahead of the new season but, despite ruffling feathers, Rodgers played down his absence claiming minicamps nowadays are just glorified OTA practices and describing his Egyptian getaway as ‘beautiful’ in a tone-deaf appearance on Barstool’s ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast in the summer.
‘Boy, this is a bad look on Aaron Rodgers,’ Sharpe continued, speaking on Saleh’s dismissal. ‘He doesn’t realize how bad this looks.
‘Can you imagine Tom Brady later in his career getting the coach fired? Can you imagine Peyton Manning later in his career having a coach fired on his watch?
The former NFL tight end lashed out at Rodgers, insisting it wasn’t a ‘good look’
‘That bad man has become more problems than he’s worth.’
However, Sharpe’s co-host Smith offered a differing take as he broke his silence on the Big Apple breakdown.
The outspoken analyst claimed the dismissal was a longtime coming, insisting the embattled head coach had lost the locker room before the season even started.
‘I told you a week or two ago that I didn’t think he was going to make it through the season,’ Smith declared on First Take.
‘Robert Saleh had no control over the team itself,’ he went on. ‘The offense was being run by Aaron Rodgers.
‘Opposing coaches, people on stations, everybody who knows anything about football was talking about how pedestrian the Jets were – especially offensively – how they were bereft of the leadership you need for this team to be what it had the potential to be.
‘Then you saw the relationship with him and Rodgers on the sideline and people speculating about it. Saleh saying one thing and Rodgers saying another – something wasn’t right with this picture.
The quarterback took an ‘unexcused’ absence from minicamp to take an Egyptian vacation
Sharpe’s First Take colleague Stephen A. Smith claimed the dismissal was a longtime coming
‘I’m never happy to see someone fired but I am not surprised.’
The Jets have endured a miserable start to the NFL season despite star quarterback Aaron Rodgers being back to full health, with their latest setback against the Vikings leaving them with a losing 2-3 record.
And just days on from that loss to Minnesota in London – where he controversially wore a Lebanon flag on the sidelines – Saleh has been relieved of his duties in New York.
Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will take up the head coaching duties and lead the floundering franchise for the remainder of the season, New York announced.