FLORHAM PARK, NJ – This time, the New York Jets will try something different. Instead of supporting part of the ball, which they tried unsuccessfully two years ago, by hiring an offensive Adam Gase, CEO Christopher Johnson said Monday that they will be looking for a coach who can galvanize the entire team. .
“I don’t really like the term ‘CEO,’ but it describes what we’re looking for,” Johnson said. “We want a head coach to coach the whole team and his staff. You don’t have to be offensive, you don’t have to be defensive. This is a coach for the whole team. This is very important for us, looking forward to it.”
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 a few more requests in the coming days.
Johnson predicted a “broad and deep” search that could take up to a few weeks. This is a departure from 2019, when they focused on offensive coaches who could take care of defender Sam Darnold. That didn’t work. The Jets went 9-23 under Gase, whose offense finished 32nd in both seasons. He was fired on Sunday night.
Johnson tacitly admitted that he did not care about the structure under Gase, which gave former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams full autonomy on that side of the ball.
“I saw that 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.”
General manager Joe Douglas will lead the search – another departure for the franchise. In previous searches, the Jets hired consultants and a headhunting firm. With the hiring of Gase, Johnson took the lead. This time, he will rely on the top football executive, even though Douglas, hired in 2019, has never hired a head coach.
“Joe is the GM we’ve been looking for for years,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. If we can get this coaching commitment right and I think we will do it, I think we can be a team that no one will want to see in their program next year either. And we will see where we can go with it. “
Aside from hiring a coach, the Jets’ biggest decision involves the defender. Johnson gave the vote of confidence to Sam Darnold, saying he wants Darnold on the team. But he quickly noticed that he would let Douglas and the new coach make the decision. Johnson once said the same thing about the safety of Jamal Adams, who ended up being traded.
“I’m a big fan of Sam,” Johnson said. “I think he’s a great QB. I think he has great talent, leadership and leadership. … I don’t think the book was written on Sam. He has a very big future and I personally hope the team is on this topic. I told him [Sunday] the night after the match. “
Darnold, who battled in his third season, could be replaced by a rookie, with the Jets holding the second pick in the 2021 NFL draft. On Monday, he reiterated that he wants to end his career with the Jets.
“I want this thing back,” Darnold said. – I think we can.
On the day of the clean-up, several players adopted the same theme: 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 do this.