The New York Jets have amassed a long, windy list of candidates for their head coaching vacancy. Their interview head-count (either completed or scheduled) has grown to a whopping 17.
Credit the Jets for casting a wide net. But it’s impossible to ignore that most of the candidates make you go… “huh?”
New York has targeted a plethora of not-so-coveted candidates, such as Rex Ryan, Mike Locksley, Joe Whitt Jr., Jeff Hafley, and Darren Rizzi. Yet, they have not targeted some of the most noteworthy names in the cycle.
What gives? Are the Jets just plain foolish?
Oftentimes, the answer is “yes,” but they are probably off the hook in this particular case. Most likely, the Jets reached out to all of the hottest names on the circuit but didn’t always have their interest reciprocated. Remember, it takes two to tango.
It has been reported that some people in the league believe New York’s head coach vacancy is the least appealing of the seven (now six) around the NFL. In a recent poll from The Athletic, which surveyed five current assistant coaches (two with head coaching experience) and had each rank the seven vacancies from best to worst, the Jets earned the most last-place votes. They tied with the Raiders for the lowest overall score.
Fortunately, the Jets have not been completely written off by well-respected coaching candidates. They have still landed interviews with popular names like Aaron Glenn, Brian Flores, and Joe Brady.
Still, the Jets seem to be missing out on some intriguing candidates due to their reputation. Here are a few of the names who may have told the Jets they aren’t interested.
Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator)
Many people on social media, myself included, scolded the Jets for not requesting to interview Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Then, I realized what probably happened here, realizing my error in criticizing New York.
The Jets interviewed Monken for their head coaching vacancy in 2019. Instead of hiring Monken (who was reportedly the runner-up), they opted for… Adam Gase.
Think about it from your perspective. Imagine if you got passed over for a job in favor of the guy everyone knew was going to bomb, and then after he did just that, the same company came crawling back to you for the same job.
Yeah, that might be a bridge burned.
It’s a bummer for New York, as Monken has one of the strongest resumes (perhaps the strongest) of any candidate in this cycle.
Monken was already a very appealing candidate in 2019. At that point, he was best known for his three years as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator (2016-18). From 2017-18, Monken led the Buccaneers to consecutive 11th-place finishes in offensive DVOA (per FTN Fantasy) despite low expectations and chronic turnover woes at the quarterback position.
Before his stint in Tampa Bay, Monken was widely praised for his run as the head coach at Southern Michigan from 2013-15. Inheriting a team that went winless the year before he arrived, Monken increased the school’s win total each year, culminating in a 9-5 season in 2015. For that campaign, Monken earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. Since Monken left, Southern Miss has yet to top its 9-win 2015 season.
Since being passed over in the 2019 cycle, Monken has only strengthened his resume. He spent three years (2020-22) as the offensive coordinator at Georgia, helping them win two national championships. Over the last two seasons, Monken has been the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, transforming Lamar Jackson into a more balanced and dangerous quarterback than ever before.
So far, Monken has completed an interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has one scheduled with the Chicago Bears. Interestingly, these are two of the top three ranked vacancies in The Athletic’s poll (excluding second-ranked New England), so it seems plausible Monken is being selective, passing over interest from openings deemed less attractive, such as New York, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.
Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator)
It always seemed unlikely that New York would land an interview with Detroit’s red-hot offensive coordinator.
Johnson already established himself as a picky interviewee over the last two coaching cycles, denying interviews with multiple teams. In early December, we were getting reports about his “demands” that would be required for him to take an interview. It was even speculated that Johnson would only interview with a team that intends to hire him.
While we do not have any concrete reports suggesting Monken denied the Jets’ interest, we do have some evidence that Johnson tossed the Jets’ flowers in the trash. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Johnson would have “more interest” in the Jets if they had a better quarterback situation.
The Jets did not even put in a request for Johnson despite his popularity around the league. It’s possible they already knew they didn’t have a shot, so they elected not to waste their time.
It is also possible the Jets are flat-out not interested – which I wouldn’t blame them for. Johnson is not the slam-dunk candidate many treat him as. He benefits from elite talent in Detroit, he doesn’t show “CEO” leadership skills, and he comes off as arrogant in the interview cycle.
We don’t know for sure what happened here, but given Johnson’s history and the Jets’ reputation, it would not be surprising if he told New York not to bother requesting an interview for him to spare them the embarrassment of being publicly denied (as Aaron Glenn did to the Patriots).
Kliff Kingsbury (Washington Commanders offensive coordinator)
Offensive-minded, head coach experience, currently in the midst of an excellent season as an OC – Kliff Kingsbury checks all the boxes of a head coaching candidate who should be on the Jets’ radar.
In this case, the Jets’ lack of an interview is not due to the coach avoiding New York. According to ProFootballTalk and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Kingsbury has decided to place his full attention on the Commanders’ Saturday night playoff game against the Detroit Lions, forgoing any head coaching interviews until after the team’s playoff run.
While it doesn’t seem that Kingsbury has wholly ruled out interviewing for a head coaching job, his insistence on waiting until after the playoffs will likely eliminate him from the mix for any team. He seems content with remaining as Washington’s OC, a decision that makes sense considering he is still getting paid a full-time head coach salary from the Arizona Cardinals through 2025.
Perhaps Kingsbury would still avoid the Jets if he were taking interviews. Maybe his decision to avoid interviewing is due to his lack of interest in the teams that knocked on his door, including the Jets. As of this moment, we cannot say for sure.
Liam Coen (Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator)
Liam Coen is yet another hot name at the OC position who has not been linked to the Jets. However, the Jets are not alone.
Coen is viewed as a popular candidate by fans and media after Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense had a surprisingly phenomenal season in their first year under the 39-year-old OC. However, Coen’s interest around the league has not matched the hype.
So far, Coen has completed an interview with one team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. No other team has an interview lined up with him.
Is Coen not as popular of a name in league circles as he is in the outside world? This is certainly a possibility. He only has one successful year as an OC, after all.
Or, is Coen pulling a Ben Johnson and being selective with his interviews? Jacksonville was the top-ranked vacancy in The Athletic survey among the original six (prior to Dallas’ late entry). It is possible that Coen is intrigued by the opportunity to coach Trevor Lawrence but would rather continue building his stock in Tampa Bay than take on any of the other unappealing head coach openings, including but not limited to the Jets.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that all four of these coaches hail from an offensive background, which, of course, is the more coveted side of the ball for coaches in today’s NFL. It is also the side of the ball where the Jets have long been more desperate for assistance.
This is one small example of the “Jets tax” that New York will continue paying until their reputation is repaired. While we do not know with certainty which coaches have denied the Jets’ interest, it appears likely that the Jets’ attempt at an exhaustive coaching search is partially hamstrung due to their past follies.
