Drew Brees Thinks Jets’ Flight From London to Blame for Saleh’s Firing

Legendary NFL quarterback Drew Brees has his own theory about what led to the New York Jets firing head coach Robert Saleh earlier this month. 

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Brees, 45, connected the dots between the Jets’ loss against the Minnesota Vikings in London on October 6 and Saleh’s firing two days later.

“Here’s what I believe happened,” said Brees, who spoke to Us via his partnership with CarGurus. “You lose that game in London, you shouldn’t have lost that game. That’s a long plane ride back. Maybe emotions ran high and something was said, something was done, something happened where all of a sudden there was a knee-jerk reaction like, ‘We’re going in a different direction.’”

Saleh, 45, was fired on October 8 after he was hired by the Jets ahead of the 2021 season. He finished with a 20-36 record, including losses in his final two games as head coach. 

Given his theory, Brees questioned whether or not the Jets organization regrets making such an impromptu, surprising midseason move.

“All of a sudden you wake up the next day and you’re like, ‘Uh oh. What did we do? What just happened?” Brees said. 

Despite the Jets’ underwhelming start to the season, Brees admitted Saleh’s sudden firing shocked him. 

“We’re all kind of scratching our head,” the Super Bowl champion said. “Like, there had to be some sort of a major philosophical difference. Something about culture. Obviously, the head coach creates a lot of the culture, the environment and the mindset.”

Ultimately, Brees suggested Saleh’s firing was an unnecessary Band-Aid that attempted to cover up the root cause of the team’s issues. 

“I think there’s enough veterans [on the team] where they could have banded together and figured that thing out,” Brees said. 

In the team’s first game since Saleh’s firing, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets lost 23-20 to Jake Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Monday, October 14. 

Brees, who retired from the NFL after 20 seasons in March 2021, has plenty to focus on at home these days as a father to  four children — sons Baylen, 15, Bowen, 13, Callen, 12 and daughter Rylen, 9 — whom he  shares with wife Brittany Brees.

As the Brees brood enters their mid-teens, their dad is just trying to enjoy every moment when he can — even if it’s not always easy. 

“I think it was best described to me one time that parenthood is like the extreme of all emotions, right?” Brees noted. “There’s times when you could not be more proud, there’s times where you’re at your wit’s end. Most of life is just kind of in-between. It’s a little bit of the ebb and flow. I love every second of it. It does feel like it’s going by way too fast.”

Fortunately, Brees has partnered with CarGurus on their “Keys to Success” campaign, which will make at least one part of the parenting process much easier. 

“The car shopping experience is going to be very real here, very soon,” Brees said with a laugh. “Just in my own personal research, I feel like CarGurus is that place that allows you to undergo the exact same preparation and attention to detail in choosing a car that I have my entire career.”