Jets coach Robert Saleh did not reveal much about what he was looking for in his next offensive coordinator when he announced last week that the team had moved on from Mike LaFleur — but he did make one small promise.
“We’re casting a wide net,” Saleh said.
Saleh has been true to his word. A week into the search for LaFleur’s replacement, there are five known candidates that the Jets have spoken to and there is no common theme among them. Some are experienced play-callers. Others are first-timers. Some have a history with Saleh. Others have no connection to him. They come from different offensive backgrounds, run different systems and have different levels of coaching experience.
“I’m not looking for a particular scheme, per se,” Saleh said. “There’s a lot of things that I’m going to learn over the next month and I just want to make sure we do everything we can. There’s a philosophical fit that we’re looking for as well as an understanding of what we’re trying to get done and how to utilize our players, quarterback obviously is going to be a big part of it.”
Here is an overview of what we know so far:
The candidates
The Jets spoke to former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett on Wednesday, according to a source. They also have talked to former Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, Eagles passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley.
There is no common thread among these candidates. Hackett and Brady are experienced offensive coordinators, although Brady was not the primary play-caller in Indianapolis. Patullo, Johnson and Caley would all be first-time coordinators.
Hackett has the most experience. He was the offensive coordinator for the Jaguars from 2016-18 and the Packers from 2019-21 before becoming the head coach in Denver this year. Things went terribly for him with the Broncos. He was fired after just 15 games and the team at 4-11. He had many game management issues and he could not get Russell Wilson and the offense on track. If the Jets hired Hackett, there would be plenty of grumbling from fans. He also carries baggage with Jets fans because of his father, Paul, who served as a very unpopular offensive coordinator from 2001-04 with Gang Green. None of that should matter if the Jets feel he is the right guy, but the organization sometimes worries how moves like this will be perceived.
It would be interesting if the Jets went the young, unproven route. It felt like that was the issue with LaFleur, who was a coordinator for the first time. He was learning on the job and sometimes that showed.
The Jets are still considering other candidates. One interesting name that hit the market on Thursday was Greg Roman, who is leaving the Ravens. Jets fans who are already dreaming of Lamar Jackson coming to their team can now hope his offensive coordinator comes, too.
Will they have a hard time hiring someone?
The news that Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell turned down the opportunity to interview with the Jets shows that this job is not for everyone. The Jets are going to have a hard time landing someone who has options. Some Jets fans were dreaming of Frank Reich. He would seem to have much better options even if he does not get a head-coaching job.
That being said, there are only 32 of these jobs. Someone will want the Jets job.
There are currently eight teams who have offensive coordinator openings, plus five others who are hiring a new head coach and could hire a new OC as well — Jets, Patriots, Commanders, Rams, Chargers, Titans, Buccaneers, Ravens are in the OC-only category and the Cardinals, Colts, Broncos, Panthers and Texans are hiring head coaches.
There are attractive things about the Jets’ job, like a good defense in addition to some quality young players like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
But there are two major questions for candidates. Saleh is entering his third season and it could be a playoffs-or-bust season for him. There is better job security with other teams who are either hiring a new head coach or have an established one.
The second issue is quarterback. Right now, the Jets don’t have one. Sure, you can tell a candidate that you are going to pursue a certain quarterback via trade or in free agency but there is no guarantee. Other teams either have a quarterback in place (Chargers anyone?) or have a high enough draft pick to take one. The Jets are in no-man’s land at the position at the moment. Zach Wilson is the only quarterback under contract and he is going to be a project for the next OC to try to fix while also winning games with a quarterback to be named later.
Saleh has not set a timeline for the hire. He mentioned learning thing over the next month when he spoke to the media, so he could take his time. The coaching carousel has been slow so far with no new hires yet at coordinator or head coach. Usually, things speed up after the divisional round of the playoffs. The game of musical chairs will be fast and we’ll see what the Jets are left with.