Following a year off, the NFL’s accelerator program is back.
The program is geared towards developing high-potential coaches and executives throughout a multi-day workshop in Orlando, Florida.
First launched in 2022, the initiative was primarily designed to promote greater diversity in head-coach and general-manager roles.
Here is the full list of the 20 invitees to the multi-day workshop.
- Nate Scheelhaase: Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
- Mike Kafka: Detroit Lions passing game coordinator (former New York Giants interim head coach)
- Grant Udinski: Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
- Aden Durde: Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator
- Jeff Ulbrich: Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator
- Josh McCown: Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach
- Darren Rizzi: Denver Broncos special teams coordinator
- Terrance Gray: Buffalo Bills executive
- Nolan Teasley: Seattle Seahawks executive
- John McKay: Los Angeles Rams executive
- R.J. Gillen: San Francisco 49ers executive
- Chad Alexander: Los Angeles Chargers executive
- Glenn Cook: Cleveland Browns executive
- Catherine Hickman: Cleveland Browns executive
- Brandon Brown: New York Giants executive
- Josh Williams: San Francisco 49ers executive
- James Liipfert: Houston Texans executive
- Mike Bradway: Kansas City Chiefs executive
- Lance Newmark: Washington Commanders executive
- Mike Greenberg: Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive
Among those 20 names, there are zero current New York Jets coaches or executives. However, there is former Jets defensive coordinator and interim HC Jeff Ulbrich, along with former director of player personnel Chad Alexander.
One name currently on the Jets’ coaching staff who deserves a spot is special teams coordinator Chris Banjo.
Banjo, 36, did an incredible job in his first season as the Jets’ special teams coordinator. The unit led the NFL in special teams DVOA at 10.3%, the fifth-best mark in league history (since the stat began tracking in 1978).
The program should place more of its focus on fast risers like Banjo and less on someone like Mike McDaniel, who was just fired by the Miami Dolphins after spending four seasons as the team’s head coach.
With another season like last year’s, Banjo could legitimately start receiving head coaching interviews as early as next offseason.
Beyond his lone season as the Jets’ special teams coordinator last year, the former New Orleans Saint also contributed to a historic turnaround throughout his two seasons as an assistant under the iconic Mike Westhoff with the Denver Broncos.
In his first season with the Broncos (2023), the Broncos climbed up to ninth in special teams DVOA, their highest mark since 2001. Once again in 2024, they rose to fourth, the team’s highest ranking since 1997.
Over those two seasons combined, the Broncos tied the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL’s best combined special-teams DVOA, capping off a significant turnaround for an organization that posted the league’s worst average since 2016-22.
From there, Banjo carried the same overnight improvement to New York as the leader of the Jets’ special teams.
Overall, it’s safe to say that Banjo should be viewed as a rising coach across the league and is certainly worthy of a spot in the league’s accelerator program.
