Inside Robert Saleh’s Jets Contract After Being Fired 5 Games into 2024 NFL Season

Adam WellsOctober 8, 2024

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In a move that seemed to be coming for at least the past week, Robert Saleh’s tenure as head coach of the New York Jets came to an end on Tuesday.

Saleh was still coaching on his original five-year contract that was signed when he was hired by the Jets in January 2021.

Per Rodney Reeves of Front Office Sports, Saleh’s total compensation from the Jets for the 2024 season is $5 million. He was tied with Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles as the 12th-highest-paid head coach in the league.

Saleh (20-36 career record, including this season) was the only active head coach in the NFL with a losing record who ranked in the top 12 in compensation for this season. Frank Reich (41-43-1) ranks ahead of him with $6 million in compensation from the Carolina Panthers, but he’s not currently working in the league after being fired following a 1-10 start last season.

The 45-year-old Saleh is one of only three people ranked in the top 20 in total compensation who had never made a postseason appearances as a head coach. Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons ($4 million) and Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints ($3.5 million) are the others.

There appeared to be a growing disconnect between Saleh and Aaron Rodgers as the offense has struggled to find consistency through the first five games this season. Saleh seemed to take a dig at Rodgers’ pre-snap cadence following a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4 when they had five false-start penalties.

Rodgers pushed back against that criticism by saying the coaching staff should hold players accountable when they make mental mistakes during games. There was also the strange situation over the summer when Saleh seemed unhappy that Rodgers wasn’t around for mandatory minicamp in June due to a planned vacation.

The end of Saleh’s tenure with the Jets comes two days after they suffered a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in England. Rodgers threw three interceptions in the game, including one on the final drive with 44 seconds remaining after the Jets got to Minnesota’s 26-yard line with a chance to potentially win the game.

Prior to being hired by the Jets, Saleh had a successful tenure as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to ’20. He has been a coach in the NFL every since 2005 when he started as a defensive intern for the Houston Texans.