FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey – This time, the New York Jets will try something different. Instead of strengthening one side of the ball, which they tried unsuccessfully two years ago with the hiring of offensive Adam Gase, CEO Christopher Johnson said Monday they will be looking for a coach who can galvanize the entire team.
“I don’t really like the term‘ CEO, ’but it does describe what we’re looking for,” Johnson said. “We want a coach who coaches the whole team and their staff. You don’t have to be offensive, you don’t have to be defensive. This is a coach for the whole team. That’s very important to us with enthusiasm.”
The Jets have asked permission to interview at least four candidates: offensive coordinators Eric Bieniemy (Kansas City Chiefs), Brian Daboll (Buffalo Bills) and Arthur Smith (Tennessee Titans) and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus (Indianapolis Colts), sources said . There will be several more applications in the coming days.
Johnson predicted a “broad and deep” search that could take a few weeks. This is a departure from 2019, when they focused on offensive coaches who could prepare quarterback Sam Darnold. That didn’t work. The Jets went from 9 to 23 under Gase, whose offense finished 32nd in both seasons. He was fired Sunday night.
Johnson tacitly admitted that he didn’t care about Gase’s structure, which gave former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams full autonomy on that side of the ball.
“We’ve seen it in action,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad way to do things, but in our case, I think we can do better.”
CEO Joe Douglas will lead the search, another exit from the franchise. In previous searches, the Jets hired consultants and a head-hunting company. With the hiring of Gase, Johnson took the lead. This time, he will rely on his top football executive, although Douglas, hired in 2019, has never hired a coach.
“Joe is the GM we’ve been looking for for years,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. If we manage to make this coach hire and I think we will, I think we can be a team that no one will want to see in their schedule or next year. And we will see where we can go with that. “.
Aside from hiring a coach, the Jets ’most important decision lies with the quarterback. Johnson gave a vote of confidence to current Sam Darnold, saying he wants Darnold to be part of the team. But he quickly pointed out that he will let Douglas and the new coach make the decision. Johnson once said the same thing about security Jamal Adams, who ended up being exchanged.
“I’m a big fan of Sam,” Johnson said. “I think he’s a great QB. I think he has really wonderful talent, drive and leadership … I don’t think the book has been written about Sam. He has a very big future and I personally hope he’s on that subject. That’s what I told him [Sunday] night after the match “.
Darnold, who struggled in his third season, could be replaced by a rookie, as the Jets owned the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. On Monday, he reiterated that he wants to end his career with the Jets.
“I want to turn that around,” Darnold said. “I think we can.”
On the day of the cleanup, several players insisted on the same issue: the team needs to improve its culture. In a team meeting, Johnson and Douglas stressed to the players that the priority is to find a coach who can get it.