A year before the Panthers hired him to be their head coach, Matt Rhule almost became the leader of the Jets.
Rhule interviewed the Jets in 2019 in Waco, Texas, while he was still a coach at Baylor. The two sides approached an agreement. How close? It depends on who you ask.
The Jets hired Adam Gase and Rhule stayed in Baylor a year before taking over from Carolina in 2020. Now, the Jets will be able to see Rhule on Sunday in Charlotte.
“That was always a possibility,” Rhule told The Post on Wednesday when asked how far he got the job. “I have a lot of respect for the Johnson family. I went through this process. Growing up in Manhattan, taking the subway to school, there was obviously a big attraction for me. I remember on Sundays I took the New York Sack Exchange posters out of the newspaper and put Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko and all those guys on my wall. But it all happens for a reason. I think they have a great coach to coach [Robert] Saleh. It will do a great job. I’m blessed to be here in Carolina. “
Sources close to Rhule said at the time that he was wrong when the Jets tried to tell him who he could hire as coordinators. Jets sources said they never told him who to hire, but they were worried he would hire coordinators from inexperienced NFL college ranks.
Whatever happened, the two sides continued and will now see each other this week.
Rhule isn’t the only Panthers coach he’s interviewed for the Jets ’head coach job. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady met with the Jets in January before the team hired Saleh.
Sam Darnold, Panthers QB, played it well Wednesday when he met with reporters in North Carolina. Darnold did his best not to feed on the plot of the “revenge game.”
“I didn’t do my job to the best of my abilities,” Darnold said when asked about the idea that he didn’t have enough support around him during his three years with the Jets.
When someone said this week isn’t like any other week, he said, “But it’s like this.”
Saleh said rookie Hamsah Nasirildeen will start to be the defender of weakness. That means the Jets will have two rookies starting with the linebacker. Jamien Sherwood will also start as a central defender. Saleh said Sherwood will be the “Mike” advocate, but CJ Mosley will be the one to call the plays into discussion.
Jets are healthy entering Week 1. Safety Sharrod Neasman (hamstring) was the only Jet who missed practice. RB La’Mical Perine (foot) was limited. OT Mekhi Becton (concussion) practiced completely and Saleh said Becton would be removed from the concussion protocol on Wednesday. WR Jamison Crowder continues on the COVID-19 list.