Aaron Rodgers insisted he played no role in the firing of Robert Saleh as the New York Jets’ coach and called such allegations “patently false.”

The star quarterback made his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, a day after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh after the team got off to a 2-3 start in the coach’s fourth season.

There was speculation by some media and fans that Rodgers might have had a hand in influencing Johnson, who said during a conference call Tuesday the decision was “my decision and my decision alone.”

Johnson tabbed defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the Jets’ interim head coach the rest of the season.

“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it,” Rodgers said. “And that is I resent any of those accusations because they’re patently false. And it’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t.”

TEXANS: Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver, will miss at least four games after Houston placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Collins left Houston’s 23-20 victory over the Bills on Sunday after scoring on a 67-yard reception late in the first quarter. Collins, who is in his fourth NFL season, has 32 receptions for an NFL-best 567 yards with three touchdowns

RAIDERS: When Antonio Pierce became the Raiders’ interim coach midway through last season, his first major act was naming then-rookie Aidan O’Connell the starting quarterback. Pierce, now the full-time Las Vegas coach, is turning again to O’Connell again.

O’Connell, who went 5-4 after he became the starter last season, will start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday as Gardner Minshew is sent to the bench.

Minshew, who signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Raiders, showed flashes of why he won the job, such as the fourth-quarter comeback victory at Baltimore. But he also was inconsistent, throwing for 1,014 yards with four TDs and five interceptions.

GIANTS: Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has had wrist surgery and will be week to week, Coach Brian Daboll said.

Thibodeaux played in Sunday’s 29-20 win over the Seahawks in Seattle. Daboll did not say when the injury happened but he added “not anymore” when asked if it required surgery.

Daboll said rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers remains in the concussion protocol, but the sixth overall pick in the draft is making progress.

OBITUARIES: Abdul Salaam, a member of the Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange” in the 1980s, has died. He was 71.

Salaam, then known as Larry Faulk, was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round in 1976 out of Kent State. He converted to Islam the following year, taking the name that became familiar to NFL fans – and frustrated quarterbacks – and means “soldier of peace.”

• Pat Fischer, an All-Pro cornerback who was chosen three times for the Pro Bowl during his 17-year NFL career with St. Louis and Washington, has died. He was 84.

Fischer played in the league from 1961-77, was first-team All-Pro in 1964 and was picked for the Pro Bowl in ‘64, ’65 and ’69. His spent his first seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals and his final 10 with Washington, making 57 interceptions in 220 regular-season and playoff games.