It sure sounds like Aaron Rodgers took some responsibility for Robert Saleh getting fired

It wasn't his decision, but Rodgers certainly took ownership.

New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers
New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers | Mike Stobe/GettyImages

Following the events of Tuesday morning, all of the NFL world was in an uproar. It wasn't just New York Jets fans reacting to the news of the Jets firing head coach Robert Saleh.

Oh, no. You couldn't scroll any sports outlet or social media platform without seeing or hearing countless opinions, headlines and rumors swirling around the topic. For Woody Johnson to fire a head coach in-season for the first time, this was especially big news.

Of course, one of the low-hanging fruits in this entire equation could have been to point the finger at veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It was an easy conclusion to jump to as plenty of fans and even media members wondered if it was, indeed, Rodgers who was behind the move in the end.

As fun as it was for everyone to speculate, multiple reports have now confirmed that Johnson made his decision without asking Rodgers in the first place. The quarterback did not have anything to do with it, and he even admitted as much live, on the air, on Wednesday with Pat McAfee.

It wasn't as if Rodgers was in the meeting room when this decision was made. No, that's far from the truth. Did Johnson inform Rodgers before the decision was made? The quarterback admitted that much, on the air, but again, this wasn't some secret meeting.

However, the quarterback did surprisingly take on some of the responsibility after the fact.

Aaron Rodgers shouldered some of the blame in Robert Saleh's firing

During the extensive conversation Rodgers had on The Pat McAfee Show, Wednesday, he expressed a sincere gratitude for his former head coach and also stated that, if he had played better this past Sunday, Saleh would still have a job.

Not only should this put all of the silly rumors to rest, but it also shows that, despite public perception at times, Rodgers is a man who holds character. Whether or not you agree with his off-field decisions and beliefs he's expressed over the years, one thing is clear: he is a professional and the man cares about winning football games.

There might have been tense conversations or even arguments between Rodgers and Saleh, but as much as people want to blow those out of proportion, that's simply part of the game itself.

Tough conversations are part of any successful relationship, football-related or not. And, Rodgers was always man enough to have those conversations.

Hearing how much he loved Saleh and the idea that his play affected the decision to fire his former head coach is quite a contrast from the picture that was painted by some, on Tuesday, following the news.

Going forward, this is Jeff Ulbrich's team and his opportunity to secure the job permanently is in his hands. Rodgers also vowed to play better and get the ship righted in New York, so we'll see if those things happen quickly.

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