With the New York Jets’ season all but over, so are Jeff Ulbrich’s chances at earning the permanent head coaching job. The Jets are 0-3 on his watch and have often looked worse under him than when Robert Saleh was in charge.
That will lead to a conversation that normally happens in the offseason: who should the Jets’ next head coach be?
This is one of the most difficult questions to answer among all NFL debates. Jets fans were ecstatic when the team hired Saleh. It is impossible to know how a coordinator will perform as a head coach until they actually take the job. Former head coaches who failed in their previous opportunity are always risky, too.
Furthermore, the most fundamental issue surrounding any head coaching candidate is: why would any coaching candidate want to come here? It’s not just the Aaron Rodgers mess; the Jets can move on from Rodgers and his remaining cronies this offseason. Rather, reporting to Woody Johnson is not a prospect any candidate would relish. There is clearly organizational rot from the top down.
However, it is impossible to provide options for the Jets’ head coaching job while whittling it down only to options who seemingly might take the role. It is impossible to know a coach’s calculations when taking a job. Why would anyone want to be the head coach for many other teams whose owners have bad reputations?
One caveat, though: I think it is impossible not to eliminate Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson from this list. Johnson had multiple opportunities to become a head coach in the last two hiring cycles and turned all interviews down. Whenever he decides he wants the top gig, he will have his pick of openings.
Among those not named Ben Johnson, here are the best options for the Jets, in my opinion.
5. Brian Flores, Vikings (Defensive coordinator)
Brian Flores was reasonably successful in his first stint as a head coach. He compiled a 24-25 record in three seasons with Miami. In his first season, after starting 0-7, the Dolphins won five of their last nine games to finish with a 5-11 record. This cost them a shot at Joe Burrow, and they drafted Tua Tagovailoa instead.
Ultimately, Flores’ relationship with Tagovailoa may have been one of the reasons the Dolphins let him go. Miami finished 10-6 in 2020 and 9-8 in 2021, although they did not make the playoffs either time. Still, it is unusual for a coach to be fired after taking a team from 5-11 to back-to-back winning seasons.
However, many reports have surfaced that Flores did not believe in Tua and told him so to his face repeatedly. Tagovailoa has since made comments about how poorly Flores treated him.
After Flores was not hired as a head coach in the 2022 hiring cycle, he sued the NFL, the Dolphins, and several other organizations on accusations of racism, among other things. Owner Stephen Ross and the team were ultimately fined, suspended, and docked draft picks for some of the allegations of tampering with Sean Payton and Tom Brady.
Flores has been the Vikings’ defensive coordinator for the last two seasons. Despite a ragtag cast of characters, Minnesota finished 11th in defensive DVOA in 2023. They currently rank first in the NFL in that category, and Flores’ scheme has baffled opposing quarterbacks.
Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and several teams may (unfairly) cause him to be blackballed from ever getting another head coaching job. Still, he was a fairly successful head coach and has shown clear prowess as a defensive coordinator.
From the Jets’ perspective, the biggest problem with Flores is that he could never find the right offensive coaches in Miami. That is a cardinal sin for a defensive head coach.
4. Mike Vrabel, Browns (Coaching and personnel consultant)
If the Jets want a head coach with a previous track record of success, Mike Vrabel is the most obvious candidate. Vrabel had a 54-45 regular season record and a 2-3 postseason record in six seasons with the Titans. Tennessee fired him following a 6-11 finish last year, two seasons after winning AP Coach of the Year.
Vrabel was uncommonly successful with the Titans despite never having an elite quarterback. Even though he was not the offensive coordinator, it was under his watch that Ryan Tannehill went from Dolphins castoff to quality NFL quarterback.
According to rumors, it seems like the main reason Vrabel was fired was due to clashes with the ownership and front office. He has a reputation for a prickly personality and a need for control. This does not sound like an ideal fit for the Jets under Woody Johnson.
Still, Vrabel was quite successful in Tennessee, which will make him a top candidate in many Jets fans’ minds. If the Jets want an established coach, Vrabel is the most obvious choice.
3. Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders (Offensive coordinator)
Kliff Kingsbury will receive plenty of buzz if Jayden Daniels continues on this pace. After finishing 4-13 in 2023, the Commanders are 6-2 and atop the NFC East.
Kingsbury has promoted Daniels’ success by utilizing a lot of play-action (in fact, the Lions and Commanders are No. 1 and 2 in the NFL in play-action rate). He has also gotten the most out of an offense that has the nearly 34-year-old Zach Ertz as its second-leading receiver.
In four years as the Cardinals’ head coach, Kingsbury posted a 28-37-1 record. It was under his watch that Kyler Murray developed into one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. However, after the Cardinals made the playoffs in 2021 and lost in the first round, a 4-13 finish in 2022 led to Kingsbury’s firing.
Kingsbury has worked (in different capacities) with many first-round quarterbacks before they came to the NFL, including Murray, Baker Mayfield, Johnny Manziel, Patrick Mahomes, and Caleb Williams. His track record is mixed.
However, Kingsbury has shown adaptability this year with the Commanders. He would be an intriguing head coach to work with a rookie quarterback.
Still, there were rampant reports that Kingsbury lost the locker room in Arizona. That should make any team hesitate before hiring him.
If Kingsbury would be willing to take the job, he seems like a solid option.
2. Mike McDaniel, Dolphins (Head coach)
The Dolphins currently sit at 2-5. Although Miami slogged through four-plus weeks without Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are also 1-2 with Tagovailoa at the helm. They just lost to the Cardinals, and their lone victory with Tua came against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. If things continue to trend downward, Mike McDaniel may be on the hot seat.
Personally, I would hire McDaniel in a heartbeat. I think his offensive play design outweighs all questions about his in-game decision-making or anything else. The fact that people gave McDaniel all the credit for Tua’s success over the past two seasons in the same way Kyle Shanahan receives the credit for Brock Purdy’s success pretty much tells you everything you need to know. McDaniel carried over the secret sauce from his mentor.
Even if Miami’s offense continues to struggle this season, McDaniel’s work in the prior two seasons gives him enough of a track record to me.
Will McDaniel be available? It remains to be seen. The Dolphins did have back-to-back first-round exits from the playoffs before this year. Would the Jets hire another Miami offensive coach? Comparing McDaniel to Gase is apples to oranges, but many Jets fans would undoubtedly make that comparison nonetheless.
1. Todd Monken, Ravens (Offensive coordinator)
I mentioned Todd Monken as a possible head-coaching candidate last offseason if the Jets had fired Saleh. Michael Nania mentioned him when the Jets were looking to hire a head coach in 2021. The Jets actually interviewed Monken for their head coaching vacancy in 2019 before hiring Adam Gase.
For a second consecutive season, Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level. Monken deserves credit for getting Jackson back there after three years of mediocrity.
Previously, Monken did solid work with the Buccaneers from 2016-18, as they ranked 11th in offensive DVOA in his last two years. He lost his job when the team fired head coach Dirk Koetter.
The following season, Monken became the offensive coordinator for the Browns. Baker Mayfield regressed terribly from his rookie season. Monken then left the Browns to go back to college and take over as Georgia’s offensive coordinator. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021-22 before the Ravens hired Monken to be their offensive coordinator in 2023.
Monken’s track record as an offensive coordinator is pretty good, but he’s never gotten a head coaching role. That begs the question of why, but it also may make Monken more likely to take the job with the Jets than some of the other popular coordinators.
Betting lines/other options
OC Bobby Slowik, Texans
Another offensive coordinator to help develop a young quarterback. Slowik is in his second year as the Texans’ play-caller. He receives much of the credit for C.J. Stroud’s early success in the NFL.
Slowik was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator from 2021-22. He followed DeMeco Ryans to Houston last season as the offensive coordinator.
Any coach from the Kyle Shanahan tree will get some looks around the NFL. Though Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur didn’t work out for the Jets, that shouldn’t inherently prevent them from dipping into the well again.
The bigger issue is that the Texans’ offense hasn’t really taken off this season. They rank only one spot ahead of the Jets in offensive DVOA, which is mind-blowing considering that C.J. Stroud was anointed as the NFL’s next great quarterback. Stroud ranks between 11th and 17th in among starting quarterbacks in most statistical categories.
Would the Jets want to hire a coordinator whose first year went swimmingly but failed to counterpunch when defenses figured him out? There’s still plenty of season left, and the Texans’ injuries on offense haven’t helped matters, but Slowik’s luster has certainly dulled.
HC Kevin Stefanski, Browns
The Browns are 2-6 and rank 27th in the NFL in points per game. Obviously, Deshaun Watson was the primary reason; the Browns scored 29 points and upset the Ravens in Week 8.
Still, if Cleveland finishes with five or six wins, would Jimmy Haslam decide to move on? It seems unlikely given that the team went 11-6 just one season ago with a resurgent Joe Flacco leading the charge.
Stefanski’s record as a head coach is mixed. He has a career 37-30 record and has made the postseason twice in four full seasons with the Browns. Baker Mayfield had one of his best seasons as a pro in Stefanski’s first season only to be driven out of town after the following year, largely due to Stefanski’s preferences.
Stefanski also turned over play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey this season, which generally isn’t a great sign for any play-caller.
It is hard to blame Deshaun Watson’s ineptitude on Stefanski, although quarterback and coach were never the best fit together. Still, would owner Jimmy Haslam pull the trigger? If so, Stefanski would be available.
Whether the Jets should be interested is a different story. From the outside, Stefanski’s play-calling seems a little staid and predictable. That’s not what the Jets want coming off the last 15-plus years of offensive play-calling.
DC Aaron Glenn, Lions
If not the Lions’ offensive coordinator, how about their defensive coordinator? As a long-time and beloved Jets cornerback who made two Pro Bowls with the team, Glenn’s name will excite fans from that era.
Glenn has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator since 2021. Detroit’s defense went from 29th in DVOA in 2021 to 13th last year and now third this season. If they kee this up, Glenn will be one of the most popular head coaching candidates.
As defensive hires without coaching experience go, Glenn would be an intriguing one. Still, he has a lot of Saleh déjà vu about him, which is worrisome.
Pete Carroll
I heard The NFL Stock Exchange podcast mention Pete Carroll as an option, so I’ll list him here. Carroll is 73 years old, which would make him a strange option for a rebuilding team. Still, Carroll has a long history of winning both in college and the NFL. Many Jets fans were furious when the team fired him after one year. Would they bring Carroll back just for the winning pedigree?
DC Vance Joseph, Broncos
The Broncos’ defense has completely turned it around from last season. After their 70-point debacle against the Dolphins in 2023 and a 30th finish in defensive DVOA, the Broncos currently rank fifth in the NFL in that statistic. They’ve done this despite not having many recognizable names on their defense other than Patrick Surtain II and perhaps defensive tackle Zach Allen.
Still, Joseph’s first tenure with the Broncos as their head coach was unsuccessful. Denver finished 5-11 and 6-10 in his two seasons, after which he was fired.
Additionally, Joseph has previously faced sexual harassment allegations, although he was never charged.
Joseph seems like the perfect example of an individual suited to be a coordinator but not a head coach. If the Broncos’ defense continues its quality play, he will undoubtedly get some looks, but they should not come from the Jets.
HC Kirby Smart, University of Georgia
Since the oddsmakers saw fit to put Kirby Smart in as an option, he gets a nod here. Smart has been the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs since 2016. His background is on the defensive side of the football, though.
The Bulldogs have won at least 80% of their games in six of Smart’s eight full seasons as their head coach. He has a career 100-17 (85.5%) regular-season record with them. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national titles in 2021-22.
However, Smart signed a 10-year, $130 million contract extension with the Bulldogs back in May. Why would it be worthwhile for him to leave? NFL head coaches’ contract terms are usually kept heavily under wraps, but it is hard to believe Woody Johnson would pay enough to lure Smart away from college.
Furthermore, it is always risky to hire a college head coach, particularly one who has only one season coaching in the NFL in any capacity (he was the Dolphins’ safeties coach in 2005 when Nick Saban was the head coach).
Should not be considered
As widely heralded as Rex Ryan is by the Jets’ fan base, Jets X-Factor’s Robby Sabo laid out exactly why the Jets should not even consider Ryan. Whether it’s the fact that the Jets’ roster deteriorated tremendously under Ryan’s watch, his ground-and-pound philosophy, or his stubbornness in changing his approach, Ryan would be a terrible fit for this team.
Bill Belichick — what more is there to say? He abhors the Jets and openly says so. His vitriol seems aimed especially at Woody Johnson.
Klint Kubiak is in his first season as the Saints’ offensive coordinator, and Derek Carr slowed down after a hot start even before his injury. The Jets need someone with a little more experience, even as a coordinator. (The only reason I mention him is that the oddsmakers saw fit to.)
Mike McCarthy’s days with the Cowboys appear numbered. To a large extent, he’s been a successful NFL head coach, compiling a .617 winning percentage. However, his 11-11 career postseason record when coaching Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Dak Prescott leaves a lot to be desired. McCarthy also seems to garner consistent accusations of predictability and scheme stubbornness.
Jets fans, who is your preferred candidate for the next Jets head coach? How likely do you think it is that the Jets will pick that coach?
