New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have told the world he had nothing to do with the firing of team head coach Robert Saleh, but the signal caller isn’t fooling Stephen A. Smith.
On Tuesday, Saleh was suddenly and unceremoniously fired from his position atop the Jets by team owner Woody Johnson.
The next day, Rodgers went on the Pat McAfee Show to tell the world that he wasn’t the reason for Saleh’s firing – he called him a “damn good coach.”
Addressing the “ridiculous” accusations that he instigated the firing, Rodgers fumed: “I hate all those accusations, and they are patently false.
“It’s interesting how much power people think I have, when I don’t.”
Aaron Rodgers has claimed he was completely unaware of the Jets’ plans to fire Robert Saleh
Smith isn’t convinced Rodgers’ hands were completely clean — and he called out the quarterback on Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take.”
“If you’re Aaron Rodgers, you didn’t go into the office and say, ‘I want him fired.’ You didn’t go into the office and say, “I want him out.” That may be true,” Smith said.
“But don’t pretend that you are completely unaware of what was going on, what the situation was like, how things were eroding before our eyes and that the owner wouldn’t pay attention to all these things.
“And somehow, when you talked on the phone, you were all talking about the chocolate chip cookies and the milk you were drinking. Just stop with that nonsense.
‘It’s amazing how hard it is for people to just tell the truth. It’s not that we’re completely oblivious to what the hell is going on.
“And when Aaron Rodgers tried to give that impression, I think the credibility factor went out the window.”
Rodgers said he had a conversation with Johnson the night before Saleh was fired, but denied that Saleh’s job status came up in their conversation.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith called Rodgers’ claim “nonsense”
Saleh was fired after going 20-36 over the course of four NFL seasons
Rodgers has a reputation for feuding with his coaches in the past, including former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who is now in charge in Dallas.
The quarterback has also been deceitful about non-football related matters, such as his Covid vaccine status.
In 2021, Rodgers told reporters he had been “immunized,” but it was later revealed he never received the vaccine. He regrets doing that.
Saleh was fired Tuesday morning in the middle of his fourth season with the Jets. New York got off to a 2-3 start after consecutive losses, but was able to take over first place in the division with a win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday evening.