Coffee with the Jets: Is John Morton on the way out?

In this edition of Coffee with the New York Jets, offensive coordinator John Morton might be on his way out of the organization, what to do with Josh McCown and a look at the final press conference by Todd Bowles as he enters the new year.

Happy New Year to you all on behalf of myself and the entire Contributor staff of The Jet Press! 2018 should be another fun and exciting year for the New York Jets since free agency, the 2018 NFL Draft, and everything else in between screams excitement and optimism for a new season ahead.

Of course, the Jets ended the season once again at 5-11 with a lot of work ahead of them before they’re able to be contenders again. It’s not going to be easy but considering they’ll have so much salary cap money to work this offseason, expect to see them make some serious noise once free agency hits.

In case you didn’t know, my Coffee with the Jets series features three of the latest articles on Gang Green from top sources on the internet. These always go great with a cup of coffee as I hope you enjoy!

Questions emerge about Jets OC John Morton and his future by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

John Morton’s future with the team is a story to watch in the offseason. His first season with the Jets — and first as an NFL coordinator — was respectable, considering it was a transition year for the offense, but there are rumblings around the league that he may not fit into Todd Bowles’ long-term plan.

It makes sense as to why the Jets offense seemed to pass the football more than running with it since offensive coordinator John Morton thought he could install a similar pass-happy system like he had with the New Orleans Saints. Needless to say, the Jets offense isn’t built for any of that as if anything, they’re more of a rushing team that has had success running the football this past season due to their three-headed beast at running back. One can only imagine if the Jets would have won more of those close games had they committed to the run but Morton has not only gathered interest from other teams (mainly the Oakland Raiders) across the league heading into the offseason but might not fit into the long-term plans of head coach Todd Bowles due to a difference in philosophy. If the Jets found a new offensive coordinator that could install either a balanced system or one that focuses more on the run, it might better suit what Bowles is looking for.

Jets open to re-signing Josh McCown, but will he retire? by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

“Josh had a great year,” Bowles said. “It would be great to have him back. It’s business in this league. He has decisions to make, we have decisions to make. Hopefully, they can meet and we’ll go from there.”

In the grand scheme of things, it would make sense to bring back quarterback Josh McCown in a backup insurance role. He had a career year with the Jets but at the end of the day, isn’t a franchise quarterback that can have a team built around him due to being 39-years-old come next season. The Jets would be wise to stop starting journeyman quarterbacks and draft a premier player for the position and develop things that way. Other teams that have done it ended up with major success but if McCown retires to go into coaching, would also make for an incredible quarterbacks coach or an assistant.

Todd Bowles: 6 Topics at Year-End Newser by Randy Lange (New York Jets)

“Right now it’s status quo. We’ll meet upstairs and we’ll see what the best options are available going forward and we’ll go from there. I don’t know if he’s going to be released or not be released. We haven’t had those discussion yet. There’s a lot that can happen in the spring.”

Bowles was referring to defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson in regards to what can happen between now and the Spring when the Jets have a lot of tough decisions to make. Ultimately, it would be surprising if the Jets kept Wilkerson in their long-term plans due to all the disciplinary actions and suspensions he’s gotten for being late to mandatory team meetings and how he turned from a leader into a dud. It’s best the Jets release him and continue moving forward in their rebuilding efforts without all the distractions Wilkerson brought to the locker room.

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