In a move that appeared to be coming at least in the past week, Robert Saleh’s tenure as head coach of the New York Jets came to an end on Tuesday.

Saleh was still coaching on his original five-year contract, which was signed when he was hired by the Jets in January 2021.

According to Rodney Reeves of Front Office Sports, Saleh’s total compensation from the Jets for the 2024 season is $5 million. He was tied with Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles as the 12th highest paid head coach in the league.

Saleh (career record of 20-36, including this season) was the only active head coach in the NFL with a losing record who was ranked in the top 12 to compensate for this season. Frank Reich (41-43-1) is ahead of him with $6 million in compensation from the Carolina Panthers, but he is currently out of the league after being fired last season following a 1-10 start.

The 45-year-old Saleh is one of only three people in the top 20 in total compensation who have never acted as a head coach in the postseason. Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons ($4 million) and Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints ($3.5 million) are the others.

There appeared to be a growing rift between Saleh and Aaron Rodgers as the offense struggled to find consistency through the first five games of this season. Saleh seemed to dig into Rodgers’ pre-snap cadence after a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, when they had five false start penalties.

Rodgers countered that criticism by saying the coaching staff should hold players accountable if they make mental mistakes during games. There was also the strange situation over the summer when Saleh seemed unhappy that Rodgers wasn’t there for the mandatory mini-camp in June due to a planned vacation.

The end of Saleh’s tenure with the Jets comes two days after they suffered a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in England. Rodgers threw three interceptions in the game, including one on the final drive with 44 seconds left after the Jets reached the Minnesota 26-yard line with a chance to possibly win the game.

Before being hired by the Jets, Saleh had a successful tenure as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to ’20. He has been coaching in the NFL since 2005, when he started as a defensive intern for the Houston Texans.