Aaron Rodgers shared thoughts on Robert Saleh before New York Jets fired coach

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers came out to squash rumours of a rift with head coach Robert Saleh, shortly before the head coach was fired in a shock twist.

insisted the pair shared a "great relationship". But the team's rocky start to the season saw them at 2-3 before Saleh was shown the door on Tuesday after a

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has stepped up as interim head coach, while big names like Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Mike Vrabel are being tossed around as potential full-time successors. The departure of Saleh has thrown the spotlight on his interactions with Rodgers, especially now that the quarterback is back in action following an Achilles injury from last season.

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Their dynamic has been under the microscope, particularly after a tense moment in Week 3 where Rodgers seemed to snub Saleh's attempt at a hug. Adding fuel to the fire was Saleh's suggestion to alter Rodgers' pre-snap cadence, which became a focal point of their supposed discord.

After a crushing 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos, he admitted: "We've got to figure it out, whether or not we're good enough or ready to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today it took a major step back."

Yet, by Monday, Saleh seemed to retract his earlier statement, drawing a distinction between "cadence" and "operation", asserting: "We're always going to push the envelope with cadence. Always."

He elaborated on the need for improvement in team dynamics, saying: "But with regards to operation, getting in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, the communication that's being had, those are all things that we can continue to look at and clean up. But from a cadence standpoint, that's part of what makes us who we are, and we're going to continue to always push the envelope on that."

Rodgers, while disagreeing with Saleh's initial remarks, was quick to quash any speculation of a rift between them, stating: "I think there's some driving force trying to put a wedge [from] outside the facility between Robert and I. We're really good friends.

"We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day in his office talking about things and talking about the energy of the team, focus of the team. What we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out. So we've got a great relationship."

The quarterback responded to the coach's comments, stating: "[They]maybe didn't actually reflect his feelings. Cadence has been a weapon. I think he kind of went in and got a chance Monday to respond to all that."