Here’s a look at what’s going on with the New York Jets:
1. Coaching Updates:
The Jets’ offseason will officially start around 7:30 p.m. Sunday when they finish their last game. In a broader sense, the offseason began on November 19 when owner Woody Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas. With Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh both out, Johnson turned his attention to rebuilding the organization.
So far, the Jets have interviewed four general manager candidates and two head coaching candidates, including former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who met with team leaders at their facility on Friday. Vrabel is expected to be highly sought after, and teams like the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders could also be interested if they change coaches.
Despite having a roster that’s capable of competing in 2025, it might be a good idea for the Jets to hire someone with previous head coaching experience. Doing so would help avoid some of the typical challenges that come with coaching in New York. As a result, candidates like Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury are likely to get some attention.
Former Commanders and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera met with the team on Thursday, and former Jets coach Rex Ryan is scheduled to interview on Tuesday. There have also been rumors about Jon Gruden returning to the NFL, but he’s not expected to be a candidate for the Jets.
Another possible option is Mike McCarthy, whose contract with the Dallas Cowboys is set to expire. If McCarthy becomes available, he may be interested in the Jets, partly because of his history working with Aaron Rodgers. They won a Super Bowl together with the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy has a proven record and knows how to handle the pressure that comes with coaching in New York.
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich (who has a 2-9 record) said on Friday that he expects to be interviewed for the job next week.
Based on discussions with people close to the coaching search, it seems that while the Jets are considering hiring an experienced coach, they are open to other possibilities.
They are also taking a similar approach with their search for a general manager, not necessarily sticking to the usual order of hiring a GM first. The process will be flexible, and with someone like Vrabel, the Jets could offer him some influence over the GM decision.
It might seem unusual that the Jets are interviewing coaching candidates before hiring a GM, but they are doing both searches at the same time. If they wait too long to hire a coach, their top candidates may be hired by other teams, as two other teams are already looking for coaches, with more teams likely to join.
If the Jets decide to hire a first-time head coach, some candidates to watch include Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Other names could come up, but Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is popular around the league, doesn’t seem to be attracting interest from the Jets.
Both the GM and coaching searches will depend on finding the right staff. If the Jets go with a first-time coach, they will need to surround that person with an experienced team, especially a skilled offensive coordinator if they hire a defensive-minded coach.
2. Draft Possibilities:
While it’s very unlikely, the Jets could move up to the No. 3 spot in the upcoming draft. Right now, they are in the No. 7 spot, but by the time they play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 4:25 p.m., they will know exactly where they stand.
The six teams ahead of them will have finished their games by then. One of those teams, the Cleveland Browns (with a 3-14 record), lost on Saturday, which guarantees they will pick ahead of the Jets (who are 4-12).
If teams like the Patriots (3-13), Titans (3-13), New York Giants (3-13), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12), and Panthers (4-12) win their games, the Jets have a good chance of moving up to the No. 3 pick, thanks to the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker, especially if they lose their final game.
The Patriots, Titans, and Giants are playing against playoff teams that may rest their starters, which could increase the chances of a Jets move up the draft board. However, the Jets are unlikely to move into the No. 1 or No. 2 spots, as the Patriots will probably win any tiebreaker based on strength of schedule.
A top-three draft pick is crucial for the Jets because it would give them a shot at selecting one of the top-rated quarterbacks, such as Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) or Cam Ward (Miami), or wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (Colorado), who is considered by many to be the top prospect.
Heading into Week 18, the Jets have a 28.7% chance of landing a top-five pick, according to ESPN Analytics.
Here’s a look at what’s happening with the Jets:
3. Departures:
There will be a lot of changes to the roster, which often happens when a new leadership group takes charge. Some players who might be released or traded include Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Davante Adams, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. The key free agents the Jets will have to deal with are cornerback D.J. Reed, tight end Tyler Conklin, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
4. Costly Trade:
The Jets go into the offseason with eight draft picks, including one in each of the first four rounds. They could have had two picks in the third round, but they traded one to the Raiders in the deal for Davante Adams. This pick is conditional, meaning it could turn into a second-round pick, but only if Adams makes the first- or second-team All-Pro list, which is very unlikely.
Was the trade worth it? Yes, but only if the Jets decide to keep Adams. If they do, they would need to renegotiate the two years and $72 million left on his contract, which isn’t guaranteed. If Adams leaves, the Jets will have traded away a valuable draft pick for just 11 games of play.
The Jets also acquired another third-round pick from the Lions last April in a draft-day trade.
5. $863,000 per Tackle:
Haason Reddick is on track to earn a playing-time incentive, meaning a bonus of $791,628 (about the same as one game check). To qualify, he needs to play 40% of the defensive snaps, and he’s already played 55%.
However, with just half a sack, Reddick won’t come close to the eight-sack threshold needed for a sack bonus. He is set to become the first edge rusher since 2022 to play a full season with fewer than one sack (based on 200 or more pass rush attempts, according to Next Gen Stats).
Reddick has only 11 tackles and two quarterback hits, which is similar to Takk McKinley, who played just seven games before being released.
Counting his salary and bonus, Reddick will earn $9.5 million for playing 10 games. He was supposed to make $14.5 million, but after fines and losing money from his holdout, his pay will be lower. Reddick will be a free agent.
6. More Incentives:
Injured left tackle Tyron Smith, who has been out since Week 10, is expected to earn a $3.75 million bonus based on his playing time, which is about 59% of the offensive snaps. This would bring his total earnings for the season to over $10 million. Smith will also be a free agent.
Here’s an update on what’s going on with the Jets:
7. Jermaine Update:
Defensive end Jermaine Johnson is back with the team after recovering from a torn right Achilles in Los Angeles, where Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed his surgery. ElAttrache is the same doctor who operated on Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles. Johnson is moving around pretty well and says he’ll be ready for next season, starting with OTA practices in the spring.
“I already am [pumped],” Johnson told ESPN. “That first joint practice, they’re about to get it.”
Johnson, who was having a strong season before his injury in Week 2, said it was tough for him to be away from the team during the hardest part of his rehab.
“I would’ve been worse if I was here because the guys had to see me like that, not being able to walk,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t say my spirits were ever awful, but they’re used to seeing how I am healthy and helping the guys. I just didn’t want them to see me like that. And I wanted to at least get back functioning before I showed my face again.”
8. Next Season:
A quick look at the Jets’ non-divisional schedule for the 2025 season, which will include teams from the AFC North and NFC South:
Home games: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Panthers, AFC West third- or fourth-place team, and NFC East third- or fourth-place team.
Away games: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AFC South third- or fourth-place team.
9. How Many Kickers Does It Take to …?
The Jets will use their fifth kicker of the season on Sunday, which sets a new franchise record and leads the league in 2024. Greg Joseph will replace Greg Zuerlein, who hurt his back during pregame warmups last week and went back to injured reserve.
The Jets have already used five different kickers: Zuerlein, Riley Patterson, Spencer Shrader, Anders Carlson, and now Joseph. Before this year, the last time the Jets used four kickers in a season was in 1979.
Zuerlein, who had been on injured reserve for seven games due to a knee injury, was having his best week of practice according to special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. But then his back tightened up about an hour before the game. Boyer’s reaction?
“Oh, my hell,” he said.
It’s been that kind of year for the Jets.
10. The Last Word:
“I would be fine sleeping in my bed 20 years from now with 499, but 500 definitely looks better on paper.” — Rodgers on his pursuit of 500 career touchdown passes.
