FLORHAM PARK, NJ – After months of intense speculation and fan unrest, the New York Jets have finally put an end to the Adam Gase era, firing the coach on Sunday night after just two seasons.
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, who called Gase a “brilliant offensive mind” at the start of the season, made the announcement after the Jets finished 2-14.
“While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization – especially in our leadership positions – it is clear that the best decision for the Jets is to go in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement. statement. “We knew a lot of work had to be done when Adam joined us in 2019. Our strong end to last year was encouraging, but unfortunately we didn’t support that positive momentum and we didn’t see the progress we all expected in this season.
“For our fans, it was obvious that we were not good enough. We are committed to building a strong organization, on and off the field, and we will continue to provide the resources to form a team that you can be proud of. “
The search for coaching will be a collaborative effort between Johnson, team president Hymie Elhai and general manager Joe Douglas, according to a source. Douglas will make the recommendation, and Johnson will make the final decision. With 20 years as a football executive and researcher, Douglas’ opinion will have the most weight.
Gas, whose contract expires by 2022, was 9-23, including a series of record losses of 13 franchises to start 2020. This is one of the lowest points for the franchise, which has spent five consecutive seasons without a winning record and 10 straight without a playoff appearance.
That Gase survived the season was a surprise, given the Jets’ disastrous start. The Johnson family, which has owned the franchise since 2000, never fired a coach during the season.
Gase said last week that he did not discuss his future with the Jets. Asked if he had an intestinal sensation about his fate, he said, “Nothing to worry about.”
Ironically, Gase could be remembered as the coach who won too many games. Through 13 games, the Jets had the worst record and were in a position to get No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and a chance to pick Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Aside, Gase failed to build a competitive offense and lift the game of defender Sam Darnold – the main reasons he was hired in 2019. The Jets ranked 32nd in total offense for the second year in a row, and Darnold began week 17 as the lowest-ranked defender in the NFL.
“It annoys me,” Gase said last week about offensive fighting. “If I want to make sure it’s the right part of the ball, it would be that. It didn’t happen, and that’s for me.”
The dysfunction peaked on December 7, when Gase fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after the defense allowed a long touchdown pass in a last-second loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gase’s tenure was also marked by personality clashes with the rejection of Le’Veon Bell and the safety of Jamal Adams, both of whom were also freed from a lack of competitiveness on the ground. Fifteen of his 23 losses were double-digit. The Jets were overtaken this season by 214 points, one of the weakest scoring margins in franchise history.
Hailed as the offensive innovator and guru of the defender, Gase presided over an offense that ranked 32nd in 24 out of 34 weeks of the regular season in early 2019. In October, Gase gave up game duties to offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains , but secretly returned to an active role as the weeks passed.
The gas sparked controversy from day one. At the introductory press conference in January 2019, his wandering eyes triggered viral memes. A few months later, he won a power struggle with CEO Mike Maccagnan, who helped hire Gase. In a surprising move, Maccagnan was fired after the 2019 NFL Draft, prompting the Jets to hire Gase’s favorite pick, Joe Douglas.