Aaron Rodgers And Robert Saleh Seem To Disagree On How To Fix Offensive Issue

After the most disappointing loss of the year was history, a beaten and clearly battered Aaron Rodgers showed up for the postmortem. And then things got worse.

Then he seemed to get annoyed.

And he seemed to disagree with his head coach.

Yeah, this is going to be a New York sports talk issue Monday.

East Rutherford, NJ -- September 29 -- Aaron Rodgers of the Jets walks off the field at the end of the game after the Denver Broncos edged the New York Jets 10-9 at MetLife Stadium.

Reasons For Jets To Be Unhappy

The Jets lost to the Denver Broncos at MetLife on Sunday and it's the way that it happened as much as the fact that it happened that made things so miserable for Gang Green:

The Jets had 10 days between games to prepare for this one, so plenty of time to perform at a high level. They didn't.

They committed 13 penalties for 90 yards. So they looked undisciplined as well as kind of inept on offense.

They lost at home to a team that practiced on tennis courts one day last week because of conditions from Hurricane Helene.

And the Jets yielded 126 rushing yards to a one-dimensional team that didn't offer much of a passing threat with rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks to hand off the ball against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Rodgers-Saleh I Was No Biggie

And, yet, that wasn't the biggest issue casting a shadow over the Jets. This was:

For the second consecutive game, people are asking themselves exactly what kind of relationship coach Robert Saleh and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have.

Because for the second consecutive game things look, well, awkward.

You know stuff seemed a little awkward when the Jets beat the Patriots on a Thursday night. After a scoring play, Rodgers and Saleh enjoyed (not really) a moment on the sideline.

And, to be fair, regardless of how curious Rodgers seemed when he side-eyed his coach, it came with a postgame explanation. So, don't believe your lying eyes.

All is well in paradise.

Saleh Upset With Pre-Snap Issues

But unlike the don't-hug-me thing on the sideline, this one Sunday accepts no explanation that easily soothes concerns.

The Jets, you see, had about 4,302 pre-snap penalties on offense. Well, it seemed like that many. So, Saleh was asked about it after the game.

"We've got to figure it out," Saleh said. "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."

The cadence stuff is a tool for Rodgers. He uses it to take advantage of the defense by making it unsure when the ball is going to be snapped. 

So Rodgers loves it.

And the idea that Saleh perhaps suggested it might have to go away seemingly offended him.

Rodgers-Saleh II Could Be An Issue

"That’s one way to do it," Rodgers said. "The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven’t had an issue, we’ve had one false start. Morgan (Moses) had one false start I believe, until this. 

"It’s been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start, and to have five today, it seemed like, four or five, it seems like an outlier.

"I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game."

To be fair, Saleh did not say mass changes are coming.

But also to be fair, this seems like the coach's first instinct is to draw back when something becomes an issue on offense. And the quarterback's first instinct is to address it, correct it and move forward.

That's two obviously different approaches.

I like the Rodgers approach. And I think that one will prevail. But this open disagreement between the coach and the quarterback seems, well, awkward.