The New York Jets’ decision to dismiss head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday has sparked considerable discussion across the NFL.

Rival coaches and executives are now asking key questions: What’s the actual reasoning behind this move, and what direction are the Jets heading both in the short and long term?

Team owner Woody Johnson took full responsibility for Saleh’s firing, explaining that it was a necessary action to shake up a team that was struggling with a 2-3 record. While there may be logic to that approach, many around the league are skeptical.

“If they win Monday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, they’re leading the AFC East,” said a senior executive, who, like others in this report, was granted anonymity to speak freely. “Firing him seems a bit premature.”

Monday’s primetime game could have set the tone for the rest of the season—and it still might—but now the Jets face an unwanted distraction.

“This team is good enough to win the division,” another executive noted. “But now the focus is off Buffalo and on the fact that the coach was just fired. It doesn’t seem well thought-out.”

The Athletic spoke with 10 coaches and executives from other teams about Saleh’s dismissal, and none believed that he should have been let go so quickly, placing most of the blame on Johnson for what they saw as a hasty decision.

“Five games into his first real season with Aaron Rodgers? It’s too early,” commented a third executive.

Before the season began, The Athletic conducted a poll of 21 coaches and executives asking which teams might underperform in 2024. The Jets were tied for third with five votes, due to concerns about an aging Rodgers coming off an Achilles injury, an uncreative offensive system, and several internal distractions over the past year.

Given those factors, a 2-3 start wasn’t surprising. Neither was Saleh being under pressure, but firing him this early felt impulsive.

“It caught me off guard, honestly,” said an assistant coach. “Maybe it was inevitable, but it feels more like the Jets getting in their own way. I’m not sure what firing him now accomplishes, but I guess we’ll find out.”

Saleh was certainly under pressure to deliver results, especially with the addition of Rodgers. But after losses to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, the only significant blemish this season was a narrow 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos. Their standout win came in Week 3, when Rodgers led them to victory over the New England Patriots, who are in contention for the top draft pick.

“The pressure was on him,” another assistant coach said. “Just a few weeks ago, they looked like Super Bowl contenders, and now, after a couple of bad games, he’s out.”

A deeper look shows the defense faltered against the 49ers, and even Rodgers admitted the team wasn’t playing championship-caliber football after that humbling loss. The offense struggled in their Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans, and the team looked uninspired in back-to-back losses to the Broncos and Vikings. A change in leadership might reignite the team’s performance, but was this the right time for such a shakeup?

Bills quarterback Josh Allen has thrown five interceptions in consecutive losses to the Jets at the Meadowlands. And while Saleh’s defense, led by interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, has been reliable throughout Saleh’s tenure, the upcoming game against the Bills with a new voice in charge adds another layer of uncertainty.

One executive questioned what the firing achieves, as the defense and offense remain unchanged. “Maybe something was going on behind the scenes, or maybe they just wanted to make a move for the sake of it and hope something improves,” he said.

If the Jets fail to bounce back against the Bills on Monday, the distractions could multiply, especially with road games against the Steelers and Patriots looming. While midseason coaching changes can sometimes provide a much-needed spark, they can also cause a team’s situation to spiral further out of control.

“Now they’re all coaching for their jobs,” said another executive. “At some point, they’ll start focusing on their next career moves.”

Another issue is the relationship between Saleh and Rodgers. Johnson claimed Rodgers wasn’t involved in the decision to fire Saleh, but questions linger around their dynamic, as it had been a topic of speculation in recent press conferences. The organization has been building around Rodgers, aiming to maximize both his comfort and the team’s success during his limited time with the Jets, bringing in several of his allies.

When making such a bold move, long-term considerations also come into play. Johnson will be hiring his eighth full-time head coach since taking over the team in 2000. General Manager Joe Douglas, the fifth GM during that span, might also be concerned about his future, though he can take some comfort in having built what Johnson recently called the most talented roster of his ownership.

The next head coach will inherit a promising roster with talent on both sides of the ball, including the 41-year-old Rodgers, who remains a major draw. However, that coach will also face the pressure of leading a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2010, with fewer postseason wins (six) than head coaches during Johnson’s tenure.

“I’m not sure how things get better from here,” said one executive.

By being the first team to fire its head coach in the 2024 season, the Jets are hoping that this bold and controversial move will lead to immediate improvement. But if it doesn’t work, the team will be left grappling with more questions than answers.