The New York Jets’ searches for a new general manager and head coach are well underway, and many fans have picked their favorite options.
Aaron Glenn seems to be the favored head coach option among Jets players, and the feeling is reportedly mutual. Past Glenn, the general manager names vary, with Jon-Eric Sullivan of Green Bay and Mike Greenberg of Tampa Bay being two commonly mentioned candidates.
While these candidates are driving the conversation at the moment, the Jets should also consider a dark-horse route: poaching two crucial members of their strongest division rival.
The Jets have requested to interview Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady for their head coaching job, while they interviewed Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine for their general manager opening. Both candidates have intriguing resumes and a history of success that will excite any Jet fan, but the cherry on top is the opportunity to deplete the franchise that currently runs the AFC East.
Joe Brady
Joe Brady’s coaching career has been a rapid rise.
Brady first coached in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 2017 as an offensive assistant. However, his star began its rise for his time as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at LSU in 2019. That season, LSU had a historic season, setting several offensive records and winning the national title. The team’s three stars, quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, have since taken the league by storm.
For his work at LSU, Brady quickly ascended to a high-ranking NFL position, becoming the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2020. Despite a poor roster, Brady helped D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson, Curtis Samuel, and Mike Davis all eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards. Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater set a career-high in passing yards.
The 2021 season did not go as well for Brady and the Panthers, causing Brady to be fired and join the Bills as quarterbacks coach in 2022. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season after Buffalo fired Ken Dorsey.
Under Brady’s leadership, the Bills’ offense has become one of the most balanced in the league, helping maintain Buffalo’s dominance in the AFC East. In 2024, the Bills became the first team in NFL history to record 30+ passing touchdowns and 30+ rushing touchdowns.
Brady has worked with star quarterbacks and designed elite offenses. He has a proven ability to maximize talent, which makes him a tantalizing prospect. His relative lack of experience is a concern, but it’s clear that Brady is a talented offensive mind.
The Jets have yet to interview or schedule an interview with Brady, but it has not been reported that he declined their interview request, so it remains unknown how things will proceed.
Brian Gaine
Brian Gaine brings decades of experience in NFL scouting and player personnel. A native of Rockland County, N.Y., Gaine was briefly a practice-squad tight end for the Jets in 1996, three years before starting his front-office career with the team. From 1999-2004, he worked as a scout for the Jets, gaining experience as a talent evaluator.
Gaine would go on to hold various personnel roles with the Cowboys, Dolphins, Texans, and Bills before becoming the Texans’ general manager in 2018. However, it was short-lived, as head coach Bill O’Brien won a power struggle and took over as general manager in the summer of 2019, after Gaine had already led Houston’s free agency period and the draft.
Gaine did solid work in Houston, though, as the Texans won 10+ games and an AFC South title following each of the two offseasons he led.
Following his brief stint as general manager, Gaines would return to Buffalo as a senior personnel advisor before being promoted to assistant general manager in 2022.
Gaine has built an impressive resume over the last three decades, and his experience as a general manager is encouraging.
New York Jets can land top candidates and weaken their division rival
Brady and Gaine both have impressive resumes that would merit consideration for the head coach and general manager roles on their own. However, it’s always a bit sweeter when you poach talent from a division rival.
Since the Bills ended the Jets’ postseason hopes in 2015, the franchises have moved in opposite directions. The Jets spiraled toward the gutter, going through three head coaches and two quarterbacks drafted in the top five. The Bills would end their 17-season playoff drought in 2017 before trading up for Josh Allen in 2018, and have now won six straight division titles.
Now, the Jets have the opportunity to balance the scales.
While this combination has rarely been mentioned, it’s one of the best options for the Jets. Time will tell if they are truly in consideration or just two of over 30 candidates the Jets have interviewed.
