As the Jets crawl to the finish line, it's time to wonder who the Jets will pursue to replace head coach Adam Gase.
Let your eyes stroll down this list:
Don Shula
Weeb Ewbank
Pete Carroll
Bill Belichick
Tony Dungy
Andy Reid
Dick Vermeil
Other than the fact that all are iconic NFL head coaches and most are Hall of Famers, they have one more surprising life occurrence in common: each found football glory in their second gigs as an NFL head coach. And all, except for Dick Vermeil, were fired from their first gig.
Does that mean the Jets should bury their head in the recycle bin to look for their next coach? Not necessarily. Adam Gase was on his second head coaching job after getting canned in Miami, and the results are historically awful – but there are folks who are doing quite well in their maiden jobs as head coach, from Frank Reich to Mike Vrabel to Brian Flores to Matt LaFleur. The Rams and 49ers also have fine young minds pacing the sideline, each already having taken their team to a Super Bowl, and if we'd like to go back deeper into the archives, Mike Tomlin, Sean Payton, and John Harbaugh are doing quite well with their first ride on the coaching carousel.
But as Boomer Esiason has repeated over this football season, the Jets need someone they can sell to season ticket holders. Maybe Eric Bieniemy and Brian Daboll will make fine head coaches somewhere, but the Jets’ gig is an inherently tough one before we even mention the added issues that come with their forlorn history – such as their instability between HC and GM, plus their inability to pair a coach and QB that will double as the team's foundation for a decade. And while the Giants have earned a modicum of patience from their fans, the Jets don't have the street cred to spin the coaching wheel and expect the fans to accept whomever they pick.
Sure, the biggest names don't want the worst jobs. But coaches are still highly driven people, and such people love money and cherish challenges. So it says here the Jets need to think a bit ambitiously for their next coach.
The Jets should first pursue a Harbaugh, and either will do. John is likely unavailable, but if the Ravens somehow miss the playoffs, perhaps the brass will move on after a 13-year marriage that has done wonders for both. If Baltimore bounces a team or two in the playoffs, though, then look at brother Jim Harbaugh. His tenure at Michigan, his alma mater, has been a failure by almost every metric, particularly for someone with his pay and power over the program. They haven't come close to beating Ohio State, and now have trouble with Michigan State, and he can't seem to recruit well at the one position that has long been his specialty: quarterback.
The Jets would do a lot better filling their vacancy with Trevor Lawrence on the team, but they blew that. Still, they have cavernous cap space and a horde of draft picks entering the 2021 season. Harbaugh will look for an opulent landing once his bosses stop accepting the yearly Buckeye spanking, and the Jets can court him with $73 million to spend on players and nine draft picks, including two first-rounders and five in the first three rounds. Maybe Harbaugh likes Darnold, but if not, he can try Zack Wilson out of BYU (It's hard to imagine him frothing over Ohio State QB Justin Fields, who is nowhere near the prospect Lawrence is). Harbaugh has made deep playoff runs with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, and could surely work with the cache the Jets bring to the table.
Of course, the Jaguars have more cap room and the top draft pick. But they’re also in Jacksonville, a sleepy Southern town that has supported the Jags so much they've been romanced by London. The Big Apple can handle Harbaugh's ego, and he can compound his suitcase-sized paydays with endless endorsement deals. And if you think of it, is there another name that will pacify Jets fans right away? Urban Meyer isn't coming here, Lincoln Riley has all he needs in Oklahoma, and the best NFL coaches are pretty much locked into their current teams.
Maybe the Jets can strike gold with some assistant stewing on a sideline, waiting for his shot. But few teams have a shorter leash with their fan base. If the Jets bag a big name, like a Harbaugh, they can assure us they are in the game. And they're playing to win.
Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter: @JasonKeidel
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