There’s been a hot debate among the media and fans alike about how attractive the New York Jets’ head coach opening is.
Some will point to New York’s talented young players and say the team is significantly better than its 5-12 record. Others will point to a poor cap situation, uncertainty at quarterback, and a meddling owner to argue the job is unattractive.
Well, The Athletic looked to answer that question by going right to the source.
Jeff Howe polled five NFL assistant coaches (including two with head coaching experience) to rank each of the six current head coach openings from best to worst – plus the Dallas Cowboys, who have uncertainty with Mike McCarthy. First-place votes received seven points, second-place received six, and so on.
These were the results:
- 1. Dallas Cowboys (32 points)
- 2. Jacksonville Jaguars (27)
- 3. New England Patriots (26)
- 4. Chicago Bears (22)
- 5. New Orleans Saints (17)
- T6. Las Vegas Raiders (8)
- T6. New York Jets (8)
According to poll, the Jets tied with the Raiders for the least attractive head coach opening in the NFL.
Of the five coaches polled, one rated the Jets as the fifth-best opening, one rated them as the sixth-best opening, and three rated them dead last. Even though the Jets tied with the Raiders on total points, the Jets did receive the most votes for last place among all the job openings.
Why did the Jets rank last? Well, a quote from one of the coaches polled will help explain.
“Always in disarray,” a coach said.
That about sums it up. According to Howe, these coaches have concerns ranging from Woody Johnson, which have only gotten worse this season, to Aaron Rodgers and his future with the team.
Perhaps the biggest stumbling block they face is Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas. The Jets’ former head coach and general manager are “well-regarded leaders among their peers,” according to Howe. There’s a sense that if they couldn’t do it, even with a QB like Rodgers, then how would anyone else? Candidates would want to know why their respected peers failed.
All of this leads to a simple question: Why would anyone want to work for a team that breeds “disarray,” as one coach put it? Until Johnson can answer that, this job will remain at the bottom of the market.
