On Tuesday morning, the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh. A 20-36 record over three-plus seasons is not ideal, but the 2-3 jets can take over first place in the AFC East with a win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. The move to add Aaron Rodgers put pressure on everyone, and Saleh was going to be the fall guy if things didn't go well.
When the Detroit Lions were searching for a new head coach, like the Jets were, plenty of Lions' fans wanted Saleh to be the guy. The fact he is a Dearborn, Michigan and his success as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator bolstered the idea, and made it a fit.
Right after Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn were fired, before the head coach hiring cycle in 2021 even started, a group of Michigan legislators wrote a letter to owner Sheila Ford Hamp calling for Saleh to be the new Lions' head coach.
Here's the final paragraph of that letter (h/t to ESPN.com).
"To turn the corner and become a winning franchise, these next hiring decisions are critical. We hope that you will consider Robert Saleh as the head coach, not only for us, but for everyone across the loyal fanbase of our beloved Detroit Lions."
Saleh interviewed for the Lions' head coaching job when the time came, but there were conflicting reports about how that interview went. Campbell became the hire, and the rest is history.
Lions' choice of Dan Campbell over Robert Saleh looks even better now
The Lions have gone from 3-13-1 in Campbell first season, and a 1-6 start to his second season, to a 23-8 record since as they've become one of the best teams in the league. Campbell has proven to be a culture setter/builder, while Saleh showed no signs of being able to do that with the Jets. There is something to be said for how an organization operates around the head coach to foster his success, and the Jets are a picture of dysfunction that no coach has had success in for a long time now.
Still, the Lions' brass ignored the Saleh sentiment that was out there, deemed Campbell to be the right guy and stuck with him during a rough start knowing the rebuild would take time. We already know Campbell was the right choice, but Saleh being fired Tuesday morning further confirmed it.