New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh received an earful from one retired NFL coach and player who did not like one of the moves he made in their joint practice against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 8.
Herm Edwards, who formerly served as Jets head coach from 2001-2005, tore into Saleh for sitting superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers during Thursday’s run against Washington. Saleh’s preventative measure was criticized because of the fact that Rodgers — who is returning from a torn Achilles that ended his 2023 campaign in Week 1 — will have to take the field at some point this preseason to get his juices flowing. The elongation of that process in easing the California native back into the throes of action made little sense to Edwards.
Jets’ Robert Saleh challenged over QB Aaron Rodgers’ benching
As a recent guest on ESPN’s NFL Live, Edwards had this to say in length about what he felt was a questionable call from Saleh (h/t Ralph Ventre of The Sporting News):
“Last time I checked, football players play football. They play football for a living, so you can’t say ‘I’m to protect him now.’ Protect him from what? He’s a football player. That’s what they do, they play football. It’s called tackle football,” said Edwards.
To his credit, the well-respected former coach then raised a valid point that the Jets could be playing under the rain in Week 1 of the 2024 season against the San Francisco 49ers, and issued out his own stance on how he would have worked with the four-time NFL MVP quarterback to get him active on the gridiron:
“I would do this with Aaron. I would sit with him and say ‘Look, how many reps you need in the preseason?’ I wouldn’t say ‘You’re not playing.’ I’m saying ‘How many reps do you need? Is it 40? Is it 50 within three games?’ I always looked at reps. Reps were big with me for veteran guys,” said Edwards.
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While it is true that adverse weather can come at any time, the Jets giving their franchise player as much time as he needs to be in full game shape come Week 1 takes precedence. Though it may seem that getting reps in during joint practices may come part in parcel with his conditioning and with shaking off his rust, the fact of the matter is that the Jets don’t take the field until Sept. 9. A lot can happen in nearly one month. Take the New York Giants having backup QB Drew Lock go down with a hip injury in their preseason opener as a classic example.
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Coach Saleh made a decision he felt was best for the team and for Rodgers at this juncture of the preseason. He did note that Rodgers did not take the benching too kindly, harkening to his competitive drive, as Ventre also laid out in another article:
“He pushed back, he wanted to go,” said Saleh. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re trying to think forward thinking with regards to Week 1, and we’ve got a long way for that. We’ll have other opportunities coming up with Carolina and the Giants.”
Looking ahead, Saleh will continue to keep Rodgers out until the Jets’ preseason finale against the New York Giants on Aug. 24. Rodgers will only have one game to get his feet under him, but with his age and experience, that may be all he needs without risking injury.
