Week 1 Is a Good Reminder That Robert Saleh Only Has Himself to Blame for Jets' Exit

The season opener puts things into perspective.

Robert Saleh's first game against the Jets since his firing is a good reminder of what went wrong. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For most of the league, the Jets are nothing more than the butt of the joke of struggles.

Fifteen years without a playoff appearance, 10 years since their last winning season, and a collection of stories highlighting the dysfunction inside the locker room over that same time period, it's easy to see why people aren't high on Gang Green in 2026 and beyond.

There's a difference between not thinking the team can move on from its decades-long struggles, though, and rewriting history.

In the case of ex-Jets head coach Robert Saleh, his upcoming matchup against his former team as the new top dog of the Titans is bringing to light much of that overlooked history. And while former players may speak out in defense of their coach, there is a reason the defensive mastermind is on his second head-coaching stint.

And it has nothing to do with the Jets.

Jets fans can't overlook Robert Saleh's past

First, a bombshell report from Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic on Tuesday morning highlighted a rift between Saleh and Jets owner Woody Johnson. Rosenblatt's report highlighted that when Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were both fired before the end of the 2024 season, the two met up for drinks in celebration.

Before Aaron Glenn would take the Jets job, he needed a moment alone with Woody Johnson.

“When we sat down, he flat-out told me: Listen, I made mistakes,” Glenn said to me. “I made these mistakes and I’m going to try to make it right.”

In the 19 months since, the Jets have… pic.twitter.com/inZPLJ6MFF

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) September 8, 2026

Then came the former Jets players coming to the defense of their past head coach.

Former defensive tackle Solomon Thomas told The Tennessean that how Saleh's time in New York ended was unacceptable.

"How that ended was so wrong. We were tied for first in our division, and our head coach gets fired. In no situation would that ever make sense," Thomas said. "I'm sorry. I will talk about that. Just the fact that he has so many former Jets here just shows that guys love playing for him. They know what he's about to do here, and they want to be a part of it."

Thomas, like many former Jets defensive players, signed contracts with the Titans to rejoin Saleh this season. They believe Week 1 against the Jets will be a good time for their head coach to get revenge on the team that fired him prematurely.

Even if the coach isn't making it a full scale "revenge game."

“New York is still a special place,” Saleh said. “They gave me my first opportunity as a head coach. Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it’s Week 1 and nothing more. I am forever grateful for all the opportunities that they gave. I don’t hold grudges.”

Talks of grudges, post-firing celebrations, and even wrongful decisions mask what actually transpired during the Saleh era in New York, though. And the reality is that the Jets don't really have themselves to blame at this point.

The reality

Former Jets head coach Bill Parcells once coined the phrase "you are what your record says you are."

In that case, Saleh's record shows he wasn't a very good head coach in New York. Saleh was 20-36 in the three-and-a-half years he was in the top job with the Jets. During that time, he struggled to find an offensive coordinator or quarterback he could rely on. Zach Wilson didn't pan out, Aaron Rodgers got hurt, and the team never seemed able to take advantage of its improved talent.

No one will argue that firing Saleh prematurely wasn't a mistake. As Thomas said, the team was tied for the division lead despite their slow start. Staying pat with the staff could have helped the team salvage the 2024 campaign. Instead, the decision sank the roster into another rebuild.

But Woody Johnson has acknowledged and understood that mistake. As Rosenblatt continued to report, the Jets owner has worked hard to correct the national perception of him around the league that came from that firing.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has worked hard to repair his reputation after Robert Saleh's firing. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not like Saleh did any favors for himself, though. While a reported deep mistrust developed from the moment Johnson returned as the team's key decision-maker, the best thing Saleh could have done to curry favor with his boss was to win.

Instead, the team never finished above seven wins. More importantly, they never seemed to take positive steps as a staff that showed they could be trusted. Anonymous sources pointing fingers didn't help either.

We can talk about Saleh being an excellent defensive play-caller and designer. We can talk about the respect he has earned from around the league, and the fact that many former Jets were willing to join him shouldn't be overlooked.

Passing the blame for his dismal showing and the childish idea of celebrating his friend being fired just a couple of months after him highlights one key thing:

The Jets may or may not beat the Titans in Week 1. Head coach Aaron Glenn may or may not have been the right successor to Saleh.

But the former head coach was fired for a clear reason. And his failings were at the top of the list.

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