Robert Saleh is back in the NFL, just over two weeks after the New York Jets mercilessly fired him as head coach.
Saleh has joined the Green Bay Packers staff and was spotted at practice for the first time on Wednesday, before head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the move.
‘He’s got an elite defensive mind,’ LaFleur said. ‘But that’s why I want him on the offensive side, so he can help us attack the defenses. I just think it speaks to how much he loves the game of football (that he is back already).’
Saleh’s comeback inevitably sparked wild discussion on social media, with fans especially intrigued that it’s the Packers who Saleh has joined – the longtime team of his quarterback at the Jets, Aaron Rodgers.
‘Robert Saleh joining the Packers as a ‘consultant’ and winning a Super Bowl would be a fun little wrinkle to the Rodgers Jets Era,’ one fan wrote on X.
Recently fired Jets coach Robert Saleh is at Packers practice. Long history between him and Matt LaFleur. Also has worked with Jeff Hafley.
We’ll hear from LaFleur after practice if he’s hired Saleh in some capacity.
That’s him on the far sideline watching the offense. pic.twitter.com/JjOFAv1iLa
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 23, 2024
Another said: ‘Robert Saleh winning a Super Bowl this year with the Packers while the Jets and Aaron Rodgers flounder might be the end of me.’
One fan added: ‘There is a world where Robert Saleh gets hired as a consultant for the Packers, wins the Super Bowl and carries the Lombardi Trophy through the streets of Green Bay while Aaron Rodgers watches.
A different response simply read: ‘NFL setting the script for the Super Bowl early I see.’
The Packers, 5-2 in third position in NFC North, host the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, before a divisional showdown against the Detroit Lions next week.
The Packers aren’t scheduled to play the Jets in the regular season, meaning any potential reunion for Saleh would have to come in the playoffs.
And for that to happen, the Jets need to start winning fast. Despite trading for Davante Adams last week after a narrow loss to the Buffalo Bills, they were beaten again last Sunday by Pittsburgh Steelers.
Quarterback Rodgers, who spent 18 season at the Packers won one Super Bowl, was limited in practice on Wednesday with a minor hamstring problem, as well as having knocks on his knee and ankle.
On Sunday, they head to New England to play the Patriots, a showdown they simply have to win to rejuvenate their hopes of the postseason.
Saleh has long known LaFleur, who was best man at the ex-Jets coach’s wedding.
The decision by the Jets to fire Saleh came after he sparked controversy by wearing a Lebanon flag during the game in London.
The 45-year-old, whose parents are from the Middle Eastern country, carried the flag on his New York uniform.
It came as bombing continued on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and conflict raged between Israel and Hezbollah.
Saleh wore a similar patch last month – and last season – but his gesture sparked outrage among some fans. The Jets faced the Vikings a day before the anniversary of the attacks on Israel on October 7.
