The Jets will cease to be Adam Gase at the end of the 2020 season, several league sources said, and will quickly start looking for their next coach. Although the team chose not to go with an interim this season, Gase’s fate has been clear within the organization for some time, as previously reported, with the Jets amassing a list of potential candidates for January.
The Jets recovered from what once seemed like a winless season to win two consecutive games, but the team’s overall record, the inability to sustain much in the attack and the stagnant development of first-round quarterback Sam Darnold played a part in the decision. Many members of the coaching staff had long been clear that they had no future in New York beyond 2020, with the move seen as a formality.
Jets are expected to delve deeper into college and professional categories for candidates, league sources said, with general manager Joe Douglas having strong contacts in both kingdoms because of his years of scouting / evaluating in the Ravens, Bears and Eagles organizations . Two years ago, under previous management, the Jets were very interested in Iowa state head coach Matt Campbell and then Baylor coach Matt Rhule with the owners interested in the idea of hiring a young builder of programs.
The conversation with Rhule collapsed on personnel issues, and now he is training the Panthers, but Campbell remains a very hot candidate and some in the college game believe he will be more inclined to seriously consider moving to the NFL this year. Sources said the Jets are also among a handful of teams with an interest in Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, who the sources say will begin to classify NFL openings midweek, and some in the scouting community mentioned Florida’s Dan Mullen as someone that could deserve consideration as well.
Douglas was with Baltimore early in his scouting career when Marvin Lewis was the team’s defensive coordinator. Lewis had a very successful stint as a Bengals coach, he has already interviewed Texans and Lions are also interested in him, the sources said. It has been a while since the Jets had a proven NFL coach with experience in the league and holding that position (Bill Parcells 1997-99), and that could also resonate with ownership. Douglas is also a fan of Ravens ‘defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, said the sources, who was a finalist in the Giants’ coaching post a year ago.
If the Jets follow the coordinator’s offensive route, Brian Daboll of Bills will be in demand for most openings, and hiring him could damage a division rival with Josh Allen playing as an MVP under Daboll’s guidance. Arthur Smith of the Titans is also receiving high praise for his work with this crime. Determining what to do with Darnold will be a critical aspect of this coaching quest, and with BYU’s Justin Fields of Ohio and BYU’s Zach Wilson closing his hot seasons, Douglas could get a ransom for the second overall choice. they choose to try to build around their current initiator.