It's getting tougher to pretend Aaron Rodgers played no role in Jets-Robert Saleh decision

The New York Jets made a rather shocking decision on Tuesday, firing head coach Robert Saleh five weeks into the season. It was a move nobody saw coming — including the players and coaches in the locker room.

Saleh showed up for work on Tuesday morning, business as usual, but ended up being escorted out of the Jets practice facility by security. The decision came directly from owner Woody Johnson, who claimed this is "the best time for us to move in a different direction."

This concurs oh so conveniently with growing suspicions about the future of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who arrived in New York alongside Aaron Rodgers, his former Packers collaborator. According to SNY's Connor Hughes, Saleh was planning to demote Hackett's responsibilities this week, handing off play-calling duties to Todd Downing. He actually made the decision on Tuesday, but was fired literal minutes later.

I am hesitant to embrace the conspiracy theorist inside us all, but frankly, nothing is more fitting for a team quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers. It sure seems like New York made a distinct choice between Robert Saleh and Nathaniel Hackett, and we all know which one Rodgers is preferential toward.

Hughes previously reported that there was "some feeling" inside the organization that Hackett's job was in jeopardy. He is now secure, at least for this season, with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich in charge.

Aaron Rodgers seems to be influence behind Jets' decision to fire Robert Saleh

The official storyline is that Woody Johnson made this decision of his own accord. Rodgers' relationship with Saleh was "not fractured," per Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, and he was not a deciding factor in the head coach's exit. That is, again, the official storyline.

It's just a little hard to believe, however, especially when taking into account the latest report from CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.

"Sources say Saleh could have made the move to fire Hackett as early as Tuesday, which is when Johnson ultimately made the decision on Saleh himself."

That adds a whole new layer to this confounding situation. Not only was Hackett on the verge of a demotion. Apparently, he could've been fired. Rather than Saleh handing out a pink slip, however, it was Saleh who received the pink slip directly from ownership.

There is nothing to officially tie Aaron Rodgers to the scene of the crime (yet), but this is the point in a good detective movie when our hero becomes awfully suspicious of that uber-powerful, slightly strange dude with clear motivation.

New York has catered its roster and coaching staff to Rodgers ever since he arrived last season. Now the Jets are 2-3, in part due to Rodgers' own struggles, and Saleh is the one falling on the sword instead of Hackett, whose offense has been far more problematic than Saleh's defense to date. It just does not feel like a coincidence.

It was probably time to give the locker room over to a new voice — Saleh has earned his share of criticism over the years — but the process behind Saleh's firing was messy at best, and it sure sounds like New York's organizational priorities are out of whack.

Let's see how this disasterclass of a season progresses.