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The New York Jets Head Coaching Carousel

The New York Jets will probably need to hire a new head coach. What kind of coach should they look for, and who is available?

Jared Wickerham

With Rex Ryan likely gone following the end of the season, the New York Jets need to find a head coach that can try to find some consistency and develop an offense that has long been one of the league's worst. In my opinion, the team needs to find a young, aggressive head coach with a reputation for ingenuity, preferably on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive background isn't a necessity; someone who can hire a good offensive staff and let them do their jobs wouldn't be a problem.

The new coach needs to have a clearly defined plan on how to move forward with this team. They need to be innovative and not tied to the way football has always been played. I think Chip Kelly is the perfect example of what I'm looking for in a head coach. Someone that questions the game itself, that's always looking for that edge and willing to use analytics and other advanced methods to do so. Most importantly, they need to give this team an identity, one rooted in the 21st century.

I have listed a number of possible candidates below that the team should take a good, hard look at and bring in for an interview. I like some of these guys and dislike others, but I included anyone I think has a reasonable shot at being considered or simply should be considered. Some of them won't be interested, but you won't know that until you reach out and ask them. I'm a "turn over every stone" kind of guy, so I think the team needs to look at as many candidates as they can. It can't hurt. Who knows, maybe they'll find a hidden gem. For example, Joe Moglia is an interesting guy, even though he probably isn't ready to be the team's coach. As the head coach of Coastal Carolina University, he isn't someone you'd normally consider. However, he has a background that would make him someone that could provide guidance (read this and this).

As the rest of the season progresses and the offseason begins, we will look individually at most of these men, and others. If you click on the highlighted names, I've included interesting articles on some of these men. In addition, the table is sortable, so you can look at different types of prospective coaches, grouped together. Consider this article our home base as we search for a new head coach. Woody Johnson, if you're reading this and need someone to run the coaching search, I have some free time and I'll cost less than Korn Ferry.

Name Title Organization League
Adam Gase Offensive Coordinator Denver Broncos NFL
Bill Lazor Offensive Coordinator Miami Dolphins NFL
Gary Patterson Head Coach Texas Christian University NCAA
Art Briles Head Coach Baylor University NCAA
Bill Cowher Former Head Coach Pittsburgh Steelers NFL
Brian Kelly Head Coach Notre Dame University NCAA
Chris Petersen Head Coach University of Washington NCAA
Dan Mullen Head Coach Mississippi State University NCAA
Dan Quinn Defensive Coordinator Seattle Seahawks NFL
Dana Holgorson Head Coach West Virginia University NCAA
Darrell Bevell Offensive Coordinator Seattle Seahawks NFL
David Cutcliffe Head Coach Duke University NCAA
David Shaw Head Coach Stanford University NCAA
Frank Reich Offensive Coordinator San Diego Chargers NFL
Greg Roman Offensive Coordinator San Francisco 49ers NFL
Gus Malzahn Head Coach Auburn University NCAA
Harold Goodwin Offensive Coordinator Arizona Cardinals NFL
Hue Jackson Offensive Coordinator Cincinnati Bengals NFL
Jim Harbaugh Head Coach San Francisco 49ers NFL
Joe Lombardi Offensive Coordinator Detroit Lions NFL
Joe Moglia Head Coach Coastal Carolina University NCAA
Jon Gruden Former Head Coach Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL
Kevin Sumlin Head Coach Texas A&M University NCAA
Kliff Kingsbury Head Coach Texas Tech University NCAA
Kyle Shanahan Offensive Coordinator Cleveland Browns NFL
Mark Helfrich Head Coach University of Oregon NCAA
Pat Shurmur Offensive Coordinator Philadelphia Eagles NFL
Pete Carmichael, Jr. Offensive Coordinator New Orleans Saints NFL
Pep Hamilton Offensive Coordinator Indianapolis Colts NFL
Todd Bowles Defensive Coordinator Arizona Cardinals NFL
Vic Fangio Defensive Coordinator San Francisco 49ers NFL