Bill Belichick criticizes Jets' firing of Robert Saleh: 'The owner is the owner – just ready, shoot, aim'

Bill Belichick criticized the New York Jets' decision to fire coach Robert Saleh on Monday, calling the move “a little early” and taking a dig at team owner Woody Johnson.

The comments deepen the quarter-century divide between the longtime coach of the New England Patriots and the rival Jets, whom he previously coached for a day in 2000 infamous resignation on a napkin before he could be introduced to the media.

During his appearance on the alternative show “Monday Night Football” with Peyton and Eli Manning, Belichick said he believed Saleh brought “a culture, a level of toughness and competitiveness.” When Peyton Manning said he thought Saleh's firing after five games was “pretty early,” Belichick wasn't surprised.

“It was kind of like that with the Jets, you know,” said Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion. “They have barely won more than 30 percent (of their games) in the last 10 years. The owner is the owner, just ready, shoot, aim.”

Belichick's rivalry with the Jets — “I'm not a big Jets fan, if you don't know,” he said Monday — dates back to his retirement in January 2000.

Belichick, who was the Jets' assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells from 1997 to 1999, said in a 2018 ESPN documentary “30 for 30” that part of the ownership transition was to Johnson, who bought the team in 2000 the problem is the reason.

“Essentially the problem I had with the entire agreement was that there was no owner when this all transpired.” Belichick said. “Mr. (Leon) Hess passed away after the season ('98). There were two potential owners – (Woody) Johnson and (James) Dolan.

“I hadn't spoken to either of them, but I had problems with both of them. … The overall ownership structure was an important factor in my decision.”

Instead, Belichick moved from the Jets to New England, where he not only won six Super Bowls but also beat New York 39-12 in the playoffs. His 39 wins are the most by a coach against a single team in the Super Bowl era.

Earlier on Monday, Belichick called Saleh's firing “premature” on SiriusXM's “Let's Go!”

“It just seemed a little too early to me to pull the trigger on this issue,” he said. “But not untypical for the owner. Woody has always been difficult to predict what he will do. Some of it is just hard to understand, but I think Saleh did a good job there.

“He brought a strong culture to defense and obviously wasn’t quite there yet, but the season is still a long way away and this seemed like a premature move.”

Saleh, who was released on Tuesday Following the Jets' loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London, he went 20-36 in just over three seasons from 2021 to 2024 and never made the playoffs at any point during his tenure. The Jets have had seven head coaches since 2000, none of whom served longer than six seasons. However, this was the first time in Johnson's 25 years as owner that the Jets fired a coach during a season.

With defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich taking over as interim coach for New York lost 23:20 to the Buffalo Bills on Monday fall to 2-4.

Required reading

(Photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)