What’s next for the New York Jets?
On Sunday, the New York Jets will close out their miserable 2014 campaign against the Miami Dolphins. When the clock hits zeros, the season and Rex Ryan’s tenure with Gang Green will be finished, leading into an offseason of immense uncertainty. For the Jets, they need to get it right in terms of front office, coaching and roster turnover, or face another few years of pathetic play.
Ryan’s time with New York began with so much promise. The Jets reached the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons, only to fall short. In the last four years, New York has not sniffed a postseason berth, leading to his upcoming ousting. At 3-12, New York is all but assured a top-five pick, an attractive piece for the head coach.
The Jets are also going to be in the market for a general manager. John Idzik has been in the position for two years, but has proven to be a horrendous hire. Idzik allowed Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie to leave town without filling the secondary with capable players. Idzik’s drafts have also been a disaster, failing to bring in any notable players in the past two seasons, with the potential exception of Sheldon Richardson.
With a pair of vacancies expected to materialize on Monday, the Jets are going to start looking immediately for replacements. The question is whether New York goes with experience, or if it tries to find somebody fresh from the coordinator avenue. Should the Jets go the latter route, men like Adam Gase, Hue Jackson and Todd Bowles will be discussed. Gase and Jackson are offensive coordinators for the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively, while Bowles runs the Arizona Cardinals defense.
Jackson and Bowles have been head coaches before. Jackson was the Oakland Raiders head man in 2011, going 8-8 but still getting fired by new general manager Reggie McKenzie. Bowles was only an interim head coach for the Miami Dolphins, before going back to a defensive coordinator role. It’s expected the Jets will look for some offensive knowledge after going through six years of offensive struggles under Ryan.
For the next general manager, the first job will be finding a quarterback. New York won’t have one of the top two picks, meaning Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will likely be off the draft board. Can the Jets trade up, as they did in 2009 to take Mark Sanchez? Does New York make a highly controversial move and trade for Jay Cutler, taking on a talented but flawed signal-caller? Maybe the Jets take a quarterback in the second round, somebody like Bryce Petty of Baylor or Brett Hundley of UCLA.
Regardless of who is eventually hired, it is a key offseason which will shape New York for the next five seasons or so. With the right moves, the Jets could make a quick turnaround. Get it wrong, and New York will be facing a long battle for respect.
