NY Jets may already have their Robert Saleh replacement identified

Tuesday morning, a bombshell report hit the league as the NY Jets decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh after three and a quarter seasons in his position.

It was a move that caught many by surprise. Reactions came flooding in throughout the morning and afternoon, and we even saw conflicting reports about how the Jets handled the specific action of escorting Saleh from the building after letting him go. In a word, it was embarrassing. It was anything but a clean break.

Whether it be current players, ex-players, media members, insiders, or fans, there was a wide variety of immediate reactions spreading from plain disbelief to the more unsurprised group of folks, including a former Jets draft bust. Overall, the majority seemed to err on the side of being surprised.

With Saleh out of a job, now, the biggest immediate question is whom the Jets will replace him with. As of right now, it is going to be defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich stepping into those shoes as the interim head coach.

However, the Jets may have been preparing for this moment for quite some time, as Ulbrich will reportedly get a legitimate opportunity to earn the full-time gig, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

"Ulbrich is very well-liked in the organization, and with plenty of time left, the team still believes they can reach the goals they set. Ulbrich will have the opportunity to lead them there."

Jordan Schultz

So, Ulbrich will have a fair shake at earning the job; good for him.

But, once more, have the Jets been planning ahead all along?

Kyle Shanahan may have planted the idea of Jeff Ulbrich becoming the Jets' next head coach

While people can make arguments as to what the real reasoning was behind Saleh's firing, that doesn't matter now. We've already heard multiple reports of this not being a decision based on Saleh's relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, so that can be put to rest.

Regardless of the reasoning, the Jets truly might have already had a plan in place to unseat Saleh. Back in 2023, the San Francisco 49ers were looking for a replacement as DeMeco Ryans was hired to be the Houston Texans' new head coach.

Kyle Shanahan wanted Ulbrich, and that warranted the attention of Woody Johnson.

If Shanahan's eyes were on Ulbrich, that's telling. If we've learned one thing about some of the top coaches around the league like Shanahan and Sean McVay, for example, it's that these are the coaching trees you'd like to pick from.

Funny enough, Saleh came from Shanahan as well, obviously. But he may be an outlier in this conversation depending on how you want to spin it. For now, it looks like Ulbrich will be the favorite to keep the job on a permanent basis.

Will he be able to secure the gig? It all depends on how the Jets finish this season, and for his sake, New York better figure out their inconsistencies in a hurry.

More NY Jets news and analysis: