The New York Jets ended their miserable season with a loss to the New England Patriots and the swift firing of head coach, Adam Gase. The search for Gase’s replacement is on and the odds are ripe for analyzing.
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy lead the pack as favorites, and the Jets have reportedly already requested interviews with them. Daboll has the shortest odds at +450, followed by Bieniemy +550, and Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady is third on the odds list at +600.
All three of these candidates are also on the wish list for other teams and it could come down to whether or not they want the challenge of leading the struggling Jets. Here is a look at some of the favorites and notable names on the list of candidates.
Brian Daboll: +450
Daboll is the favorite for the Jets head coaching position and he’s coming off an impressive season with the Bills. His Josh Allen-led offense finished third in the NFL and the team enters the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Daboll is also the favorite to be the next Chargers head coach after Los Angeles fired Anthony Lynn this week. Fun fact: Daboll and Chargers general manager Tom Telesco went to the same high school, so there is a personal connection there.
This will likely come down to whether or not Daboll wants the Jets job, as he is a logical fit, but will have more attractive options. If Daboll is offered the Chargers job, he would probably take it, so I would put your money on Bieniemy or Brady at slightly longer odds.
Bill O’Brien: +1400
Bill O’Brien is the former Texans head coach and general manager and he served as an offensive assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was also the head coach of Penn State and held coaching positions at Brown, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke.
O'Brien joined the Texans as the head coach in 2014 and was fired this past season after their 0-4 start. So he didn’t exactly leave the NFL coaching world on the best note. He was also a disastrous general manager in Houston, trading away star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. If he gets a head coaching job, it’s unlikely the team will give him power over personnel decisions. However, four of O’Brien’s Houston teams finished first in the AFC South, including in the two seasons before he was fired.
O’Brien is also being considered for the offensive coordinator role at Alabama and a college position might be more appealing to him. Adam Gase is also being considered for this position but if it’s offered to O’Brien, he would likely take it. Taking this collegiate role for a year is the best path to another head coaching job for him.
Urban Meyer: +2500
Rumors are swirling that Urban Meyer is asking for $12 million to coach the Jaguars, with conflicting reports about whether or not this is true still out there, but in any event, he is still reportedly the team’s first choice to replace the fired Doug Marrone.
The former Florida and Ohio State head coach is a hot name on the Jets’ list too but the likelihood he would take the job if offered is slim, as the +2500 odds suggest. I don’t think the Jets are going to pay him $12 million to turn their team around. Meyer obviously wants to coach in the NFL and if things flame out with Jacksonville, he holds the No. 2 pick in the draft and the team has a lot of cap room moving forward.
But I would put money on Rex Ryan before Meyer. Speaking of Rex...
Rex Ryan: +6600
And now we arrive at Rex Ryan with the longest odds on the list. But he has one thing the other candidates featured here don’t: he’s coached the Jets before. Ryan was at the helm from 2009-2014 before becoming the coach of the Bills from 2015-2016. He also held coaching positions with the Ravens from 1999-2008 and won a Super Bowl with Baltimore, so he has been around the NFL for a while. With the Jets and Bills he has a combined record of 61-66 and is one of the most successful Jets head coaches of all time, having led teams to consecutive AFC Championship Games during those six years.
I would actually like to see him as the next head coach of the Jets for entertainment purposes. He’s been trying to keep himself relevant on ESPN by criticizing fired Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, kicking him while he’s down, and ripping Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz in recent days.
He definitely cares about the league and it sounds like he might want back in as a coach if offered a job. But I don’t think the Jets are going to take that kind of chance. They have to get this one right and Rex Ryan ain’t it.