With the New York Jets and Tennessee Titansset to open the regular season on Sunday,many of the game's biggest storylines center around Robert Saleh. No surprise there.
The former Jets head coach will face the franchise that gave him his first head-coaching opportunity before ultimately firing him five games into the 2024 season. One of his former (and current) players believes New York made the wrong decision.
Solomon Thomas played under Saleh while both were with the San Francisco 49ers (2017-20). Thomas followed Saleh to the Jets (2022-24) and eventually reunited with him in Nashville. Speaking to The Tennessean this week, Thomas went to back for his head coach and questioned the timing of the Jets' decision to fire him in 2024.
"We were tied
for first in our division and our head coach gets fired... In no situation would that ever make sense," Thomas said.
The veteran defender also praised Saleh's leadership style. He suggested the number of former Jets players who have followed him to Tennessee speaks for itself.
"Just the fact that he has so many former Jets here just shows that guys love playing for him. They know what he's about to do here and they want to be a part of it," Thomas added.
While many players publicly supported Saleh throughout his tenure, the Jets ultimately decided a change was necessary after a disappointing start to the 2024 season. New York dismissed Salehafter a 2-3 start to the campaign.
That ended a tenure that produced a 22-34 record. The move came less than a year after the organization elected to retain Saleh following a disappointing 2023 campaign that was derailed by quarterback Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury.
The decision remains one of the more debated moments in recent franchise history. Supporters point to Saleh's popularity within the locker room and the injuries that affected key stretches of his tenure. Critics point to the Jets' inability to translate talent into consistent wins, particularly during the final two seasons of his time in New York.
As for Saleh himself, he has not shown any negative feelings toward his former employer before the Week 1 matchup.
"Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it's Week 1 and nothing more," Saleh said.
Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 NFL season.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Former Jets turned Titans defender criticizes Robert Saleh's 2024 firing
