The New York Jets are reportedly very high on Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and are expected to speak with him soon.
Matt Campbell wasn’t interested last time around, and the odds that he makes the leap to the NFL now remain slim. But that doesn’t mean he won’t chat it up with Joe Douglas and the New York Jets.
The Iowa State head coach is expected to speak with the organization regarding their vacant head-coaching position, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. La Canfora also reports the Jets are “very high” on the collegiate head man.
Campbell, 41, is the definition of a “program builder.” He built the Iowa State Cyclones from the bottom-up. This past season, he led Iowa State to a 9-3 record and a win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
Since taking over in 2016, his record is 35-28. The five seasons prior to Campbell saw the program go 20-42.
Specifically, Christopher Johnson is rumored to be “very interested” in Campbell, a man who signed an extension through the 2025 season following the 2019 campaign. As previously mentioned, he declined to speak with the Jets in January 2019 after Todd Bowles was fired. It appears that he’s at least willing to speak with the Jets regarding the manner.
Obviously, speaking with the Jets could mean many different things. Some coaches will speak with a team in spite of little-to-no interest in the job. Some will pick up the phone in order to feel the other side out. After all, Douglas’s presence represents a much different leadership group as opposed to the January 2019 Jets.
On Friday, the Jets completed an interview with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. On Saturday, they did the same with Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The college names are now starting to surface.
