NY Jets: 5 dream replacements for Adam Gase in the offseason

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NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

When the NY Jets move on from Adam Gase, the team should look at these five candidates.

The NY Jets may be dragging out the process at the moment, but they will inevitably fire Adam Gase in the near future. Whether that future is next week, next month, or at the end of the season, his time in New York is all but over.

In reality, that’s been the scenario for quite some time now. But for various illogical reasons, Gase still remains the Jets’ head coach approaching late October despite an 0-6 record and a historically awful team.

Sure, Gase isn’t to blame for everything. Far from it, in fact. But the woeful coach is far and away the biggest issue that can be fixed right now and thus he’s become the rightful scapegoat.

So when the Jets finally bite the bullet and fire Gase, who could we expect them to turn to as his eventual replacement? We already ran through the in-house options the other day in case he’s fired midseason.

But what about his long-term replacement? Which coaches should the Jets’ organization consider hiring this offseason as Gase’s successor?

Funnily enough, about a year ago to the day we ran a similar piece that discussed five possible replacements for Gase assuming he was fired after one season.

Some of the names on that list — namely Matt Rhule — are no longer feasible options. But others might make an appearance once again.

Let’s take a look at five dream candidates for the Jets’ next head coach.

Next: 5. Joe Brady

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5. The NY Jets should consider hiring Joe Brady

As the story goes, the Jets seemingly had their newest head coach hired in Baylor’s Matt Rhule in January of 2019. However, just before the two sides could come to an agreement, the Jets insisted that Rhule was not allowed to pick his own coordinators.

Rhule, understandably feeling slighted, refused the offer and returned to Baylor for one more season, only to resurface the following offseason and join the Carolina Panthers.

Of course, the Jets would end up going with their second choice, Adam Gase, who was allowed to pick his own coordinators. He chose Dowell Loggains and a bunch of his former buddies from his Miami Dolphins staff.

Rhule, on the other hand, put together one of the most highly-praised staffs in football once Carolina allowed him to do what the Jets wouldn’t. And one such name that is already making significant waves is offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

At just 31-years-old, Brady has major Sean McVay vibes to him and that’s not a terrible comparison at all. Brady was the catalyst behind LSU’s revamped offense in 2019 serving as the team’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Many have credited him with transforming Joe Burrow from middling college football quarterback to a Heisman winner and No. 1 overall draft pick.

While it may be a little early for a head coach position, one surely awaits him in the future if he continues on this trajectory. For that reason, he isn’t the top choice, but he certainly would be a fun one.

Next: 4. Brian Daboll

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NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

4. The NY Jets should consider hiring Brian Daboll

Brian Daboll has found new life as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills and will likely receive some head coach offers this offseason.

Daboll is no stranger to the coaching world having earned his first position way back in 1997 with FCS William & Mary. He’s had numerous stints in the NFL as both a positional coach and offensive coordinator, but he’s never been given the reigns to an NFL team.

The 45-year-old even has ties to the Jets having served as the team’s quarterbacks coach from 2007 to 2008. Stints as the offensive coordinator in Cleveland, Miami, and Kansas City followed before he returned to the college ranks in 2017 as the co-offensive coordinator at Alabama.

He helped the Crimson Tide win a National Championship in his only season there before joining the Bills’ staff in 2018. And in his three years there, he’s been credited with helping Josh Allen develop from a high-variance project into a bonafide NFL star.

Daboll’s work with Allen will surely have many NFL teams knocking on his door and his no-nonsense attitude has many believing he has the fortitude to be the next great NFL head coach.

The Jets need a head coach with a backbone who’s also worked wonders with young quarterbacks in the past. And why not look upstate to their division rivals in Western New York for the answer.

Next: 3. Eric Bieniemy

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3. The NY Jets should consider hiring Eric Bieniemy

Eric Bieniemy‘s name has been a hot topic for what feels like three to four years at this point. Every offseason there are rumors that Bieniemy will receive a head coach job only for him to return to Kansas City when all is said and done.

But this year, things feel different.

Bieniemy has served his purpose with the Chiefs and there’s little more he could accomplish with the organization. Having spent eight years now in Kansas City first as the team’s running backs coach and now as their offensive coordinator, the time has come to move on.

And with his contract expiring at the end of the season, it feels inevitable that he will finally receive a head coach position this offseason. The Jets should be considered a prime destination.

While he doesn’t call plays for the Chiefs, Bieniemy is a huge part of the most successful NFL offense in recent history. His work with not only Patrick Mahomes, but the entire Kansas City offense hasn’t gone unnoticed.

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Not only that, but his time learning under Andy Reid will certainly do him some favors with the likes of John Harbaugh, Doug Pederson, Ron Rivera, and Sean McDermott — other Andy Reid protegees — all finding great success elsewhere.

Bieniemy is going to be a head coach come next year and the Jets should absolutely be interested.

Next: 2. Todd Monken

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2. The NY Jets should consider hiring Todd Monken

Just a few short years ago, Todd Monken was one of the fastest-rising offensive coaches in football and seemed destined to become an NFL head coach sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, that process has been delayed a year or two because of one bad decision to join a dysfunctional coaching staff.

After first garnering national attention for turning a one-win Southern Miss program into a nine-win, conference champion team as the school’s head coach, Monken received his first taste of NFL spotlight as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The former college quarterback helped transform the Tampa Bay offense and make it one of the most high-powered in the NFL and that made him a hot commodity come the 2019 offseason.

Monken interviewed for a number of head coach jobs, including the Jets, but ultimately decided to join the Cleveland Browns as their new offensive coordinator. That was the move that set his head coaching hopes back at least a year or two.

Monken was saddled with Freddie Kitchens as his head coach and relegated to a background role with Kitchens calling plays. It became clear from the get-go that Monken didn’t have the input that he should have had.

After one disastrous year, Monken returned to college to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia — a very prestigious position.

With the good work he’s doing down in Georgia right now, it’s presumed that Monken will once again be interviewing for head coach positions this offseason.

Given his prior success as a college head coach and NFL play-caller, it seems like a no-brainer that the Jets should be interested once again.

Maybe this time they should actually pull the trigger and hire him.

Next: 1. Matt Campbell

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NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

1. The NY Jets should consider hiring Matt Campbell

The Jets were one of many teams interested in Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell heading into the 2019 offseason. Unfortunately, the interest wasn’t mutual as Campbell reportedly turned down an opportunity to interview for the Jets’ vacant head coach position.

But two years will have passed when the position opens again this offseason, and perhaps Campbell’s mind has changed a little.

Campbell is very reminiscent of another former college head coach — also named Matt — that the Jets targeted in 2019 only to opt for Adam Gase instead. Yes, Campbell’s track record, much like Matt Rhule’s, speaks for itself.

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The 40-year-old Ohio native worked as an assistant offensive coach for the likes of Mount Union, Bowling Green, and Toledo before assuming the head coach position with the latter after impressing as the interim.

Campbell would spend four years as the full-time head coach at Toledo coaching them to three bowl appearances and multiple conference titles. He parlayed his success in his home state to a head coach job with Iowa State.

And with the Cyclones, he managed to take a three-win, bottom-of-the-conference team and turn them into a regular bowl contender qualifying for three straight bowl games. For context, they hadn’t qualified for a bowl game in four years prior to his arrival.

Campbell has succeeded as a head coach every step of the way turning two different programs around. He’ll likely be on the radar of plenty of NFL teams this offseason, and if he feels like he’s plateaued at Iowa State, he might just reconsider this time around.

Next. NY Jets: 3 players who could be traded before the deadline

And if that’s the case, the Jets should be the first team that comes calling.

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