Jets Coaching Candidate of the Day: Chris Petersen

With Todd Bowles likely on the way out at the end of the season, we are going to take a look at some of the potential candidates to replace him. Whenever we do something like this, there are some typical criticisms that always pop up like, “Why profile this guy? He stinks!” and “He won’t be interested.” We aren’t just profiling the good candidates or suggesting these people are all likely to take the job. We are simply looking at people the Jets could reasonably expected to call.

Today’s candidate: Chris Petersen

Category: College Coach

Current Job: Washington Head Coach

Years of NFL Coaching Experience: 0

Head Coaching Experience: Boise State (2006-2013); Washington (2014-present)

Pros:

• 139-32 career coaching record.
• Has built two programs into national power.
• Great at developing players.
• Has won with lesser talent.
• Creative offensive mind.
• Has a reputation for being highly respected and detail-oriented.
• His teams are never intimidated even when big underdogs.

Cons:

• No NFL experience.
• Never has held a high pressure head coaching job after working in small Boise market and at Washington, which is generally an afterthought on the Seattle sports scene.

The Bottom Line:

I don’t know whether Petersen will be a candidate for the Jets, but he would be near the top of the list of interview candidates if I was running the search. He’s known nothing but success since taking over Boise State, and for my money he is one of the best coaches at any level of football. I think he’d be a success coaching anywhere.