Robert Saleh to bring Mike LaFleur, John Benton and Greg Knapp to Jets (Report)

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is expected to hire Mike LaFleur, John Benton and Greg Knapp on the offensive side of the ball.
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 29: Pass Game Coordinator Mike LaFleur and George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers talk in the locker room prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on December 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 26-21.
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is expected to hire Mike LaFleur, John Benton and Greg Knapp on the offensive side of the ball.

Robert Saleh is expected to bring over at least a couple of San Francisco 49ers offensive coaches with him to New York, according to Michael Silver.

The newest New York Jets head coach, 41, heads east as a defensive-first mind. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll call the game with a defensive-first attitude—i.e. Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles—but who he considers offensively looms large.

Rumors have run rampant that 49ers pass game coordinator Mike LaFleur will be named Jets offensive coordinator. Along with LaFleur, Silver also mentioned John Benton as the offensive line coach, Greg Knapp as the quarterbacks coach and Rob Calabrese as a passing game specialist.

Mike McDaniel’s name surfaced quite a bit shortly after the Jets tagged Saleh as their next head man. It appears McDaniel will stay put in San Francisco with a promotion as the team’s offensive coordinator. (Previously, there had been no official offensive coordinator with head coach Kyle Shanahan representing the clear offensive boss.)

LaFleur, 34, is the little brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. He’s been with Shanahan since 2014 when he served as a Cleveland Browns offensive intern. LaFleur followed Shanahan to Atlanta in 2015 where they lost a Super Bowl, and then to San Francisco in 2017 where they’d ultimately lose another Super Bowl two seasons later.

Benton was also a part of the Niners coaching staff under Shanahan. Knapp, on the other hand, is coming from Atlanta, where he served as the Falcons quarterbacks coach for the last three seasons. He was previously with the Denver Broncos in the same position from 2013 to 2016, helping Peyton Manning and Gary Kubiak win a Super Bowl.

Jets X-Factor Membership Logged Out

Knapp’s NFL coaching career started with the Niners in 1997. He moved his way from offensive quality control coach to quarterbacks coach, eventually landing the offensive coordinator job while working under Steve Mariucci.

Constructing a coaching staff is just as critical as putting together the roster and a head coach is only as good as his staff’s weakest link. Robert Saleh’s current goal is to put together the best staff possible as the NFL’s January coaching movement hits its peak.

About the Author

More Stories

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
2 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Follow on Google News

Follow Jets X-Factor on Google News to stay updated on everything New York Jets—news, stories, film breakdowns, analytical reviews, podcasts, and much more.