Robert Saleh insisted no one was panicked about the New York Jets’ slow start. A day later, he was out of a job.

Owner Woody Johnson made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire Saleh five games into his fourth season after the team’s 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday.

“This morning, I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as head coach of the Jets,” Johnson said in a statement issued by the team. “I thanked him for his hard work these past 3 1/2 years and wished him and his family well moving forward.

“This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations. And I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.”

Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets, who are trying to snap the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 13 seasons. The move marks the first time in Johnson’s 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during the season.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season — with the Jets maintaining expectations to make the playoffs.

“He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team,” Johnson said. “I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”

The surprising move came a day after Saleh said he was confident Aaron Rodgers and the Jets would be able to turn things around after losing two straight, including falling to undefeated Minnesota. Rodgers had his worst game with New York, throwing three interceptions.

“There’s so much football to be played,” Saleh said Monday. “There’s so many things that we can get better at, and there’s so many things that we can continue to build on, the things that we are doing well.

“So, I’m not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked.”

STEELERS: While Justin Fields will likely make his sixth straight start on Sunday against Las Vegas, Russell Wilson is expected to be a full participant in practice on Wednesday for the first time since aggravating a calf injury just before the season opener in Atlanta.

Fields will practice with the starters on Wednesday, with Wilson working with the backups. Coach Mike Tomlin, as he has for weeks, declined to get into what he considers a still-unnecessary discussion about Wilson reclaiming the starting job he won out of training camp.

“Until Russ gets to a point where we’re comfortable with what we’re looking at, he’s able to execute all schematics, he’s able to put together back-to-back consecutive days and so forth. I just think that’s a hypothetical conversation,” Tomlin said. “We’ll continue to push forward with Justin until those things are legitimate.”

BROWNS: A woman in Texas who filed a lawsuit last month accusing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery in 2020 reached a settlement with the player, according to her attorney.

“We have now resolved our client’s claim with Deshaun Watson,” the attorney, Anthony Buzbee, said in a statement provided Monday to The Washington Post. “The settlement is confidential.”

Buzbee declined to provide further details.

He previously said the woman would meet with NFL representatives about the case. The NFL has said it would review the allegations. The settlement does not preclude the woman from speaking with the NFL, according to one person familiar with its terms.

The NFL and Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, declined to comment on the settlement. Watson and Hardin have denied the woman’s allegations.

VIKINGS: Minnesota is treating running back Aaron Jones’ right hip injury as a week-to-week condition, Coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday.

Jones was hurt in the first quarter Sunday in London against the New York Jets and did not return. The Vikings (5-0), who are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFC, have begun their bye week and don’t play again until Oct. 20 against Detroit.

“All the early information that we’ve got so far, it looks like we’ve avoided a long-term injury,” said O’Connell, who was hoping Jones could begin to work his way back into practice next week after receiving treatment during the bye week, but his status for the Lions game in Week 7 was unclear.

Ty Chandler became the lead ball carrier with Jones sidelined.