The New York Jets head coach search is heating up with the Jets interviewing two candidates last week and scheduling an interview with another who views himself as the favorite, this week. While the interviews have started rolling in, the dust has just begun to settle on the regular season, and many top potential candidates have yet to become available as hotshot coordinators work to prep their current teams for a playoff run.
While the three names that have been interviewed and are confirmed to be interviewed might not be the front runners, all three possess unique qualities that deserve further inspection.
Ron Rivera brings a wealth of experience
Known as “Riverboat Ron” due to his aggressive tendencies and penchant for going for it in fourth-down situations, Rivera has the most experience of the trio, bringing 13 years of head coaching experience to the table. From 2011 through Week 13 of the 2019 season, Rivera led the Carolina Panthers before taking over as Washington’s head coach from 2019 through 2023.
With Carolina, Rivera achieved his career highlight, going 15-1 in 2015 and going on a Super Bowl run before eventually losing Super Bowl 50 to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. He finished his tenure in Carolina with a somewhat misleading 76-63 record, which was good for a .546 winning percentage but never featured back-to-back winning seasons and only consisted of three years above .500 in the nine years he spent there.
With Washington, he took over at the end of the tumultuous Daniel Snyder Era eventually losing his job after the 2023 season which was the first under new ownership. Rivera never posted a winning season and was dismissed after 2023’s 4-13 campaign. Just a year later, the Commanders are sitting at 12-5 without Rivera and look like a powerhouse in the NFC.
Throughout his lengthy and inconsistent career, Rivera’s aggressive approach has been driven more but gut feelings rather than actual analytics. His interview with the Jets suggests the team is doing their due diligence rather than seriously considering him as a contender for their vacancy.
Mike Vrabel is the hot name, but a long shot to land with Gang Green
Vrabel, a long-time nemesis of the Jets during his playing career with the New England Patriots, is seen as one of the top names available. He led the Tennessee Titans for six seasons, from 2018 through the 2023 season, and posted a record of 54-45. While Tennessee fizzled during the end of his tenure, they never completely bottomed out going 7-10 and 6-11 his last two seasons, respectively.
A lot of the franchise’s struggles the past two years had little to do with Vrabel and more due to an aging roster and questionable decisions, such as trading away star receiver A.J. Brown.
Vrabel has ties to the Jets’ current regime, working with current Jets passing game coordinator/play-caller Todd Downing and offensive line coach/running game coordinator Keith Carter in Tennessee. The Jets also interviewed former Titans general manager, Jon Robinson, who crossed paths with Vrabel in Music City.
Despite those ties, recent reports suggest that Vrabel taking the Jets’ call was simply a ploy to angle for a return to New England and possibly motivated the Kraft family to cut ties with head coach Jerod Mayo, and now are expected to begin negotiations with their former player.
With New England having an opening and seemingly Vrabel’s preferred destination, it seems unlikely he lands anywhere but Foxboro.
Rex Ryan will get his shot and a return to Gotham
After weeks of angling for the job the bombastic former Jets coach turned ESPN talking head will get his shot to return to a team he clearly loves. Never one to lack confidence, Ryan is convinced he will become the next man to roam the sidelines for the battered franchise and promises to put an end to Aaron Rodgers’ “country club,” should he take the reigns.
Nearly a decade has passed since Ryan was dismissed as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2016, and the game has evolved drastically since the defensive mastermind last schemed up his exotic blitzes. It’s unclear how well he’d be able to adapt his high-pressure scheme to combat the aerial attacks present in today’s game, and if it’s order and decorum you want to quiet the dysfunction then Ryan certainly is not your man.
He was, however, the last person to lead the Jets to the playoffs, and presided over one of the most exciting times in franchise history. An added plus, he’s had his fair share of dealings with Woody Johnson and is no stranger to managing the owner’s meddling.
Despite what Rex might think, he certainly seems like a long shot, though with the team desperate to win back some goodwill from the fans, perhaps they’re more inclined than originally believed to bet on nostalgia, even if it ended with a bitter taste the first time around.
The next head coach likely won’t be interviewed for some time
The Jets have tried every approach in recent years to try and find a competent head coach, failing with each swing. Most recently, they’ve gone the experienced head coach route with Adam Gase who presided over an era of Jets football so boring that most fans wish they could zap it from their memory banks.
They’ve also gone the hotshot coordinator route, with former head coach Robert Saleh quickly turning promise into pain for the faithful in the most recent iteration of the team.
With all that said, a slew of coordinators on playoff-bound teams will get looks as their seasons come to an end, and a pair in Detroit — offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator, and former Jets’ cornerback, Aaron Glenn — are among the buzziest. With the Jets, you never know what to expect, so for now hold on to your seats because it will surely be a wild ride.
