NY Jets ranked as least-appealing head coach opening by NFL insider

The NY Jets were recently ranked as the least appealing head coach opening.

The NY Jets are going to have a head coach opening this offseason — that much is a given. While Adam Gase remains the head coach of this winless team heading into Week 13, he won’t survive the season.

And with that, the Jets will be right back on the market looking for a new coach just two years after settling on Gase. Hopefully, things will go a little better this time around.

One aspect of the NFL’s coaching carousel that oftentimes gets overlooked is the true appeal of a job. While fans will often look at the available candidate and plea to their favorite teams to hire them, it isn’t always that simple.

Hiring a new coaching staff is a two-way street — the team has to be appealing to the coach just as the coach has to be appealing to the team.

With potentially up to eight head-coach openings this offseason, there will be plenty of organizations vying for the top names on the market. Where do the Jets stack up in terms of appealing positions?

That’s a loaded question and one that can’t be answered until the season comes to a close and, more importantly, the 2021 NFL Draft order is finalized.

But one NFL insider wasn’t too complimentary of the Jets’ chances of landing a top-tier coaching candidate.

John Clayton of The Washington Post recently ranked the eight potential franchises that could be looking for a new coach this offseason in order of attractiveness of the position. And the Jets finished dead last of all eight job openings.

Clayton pointed to a lack of solutions at critical positions on the roster such as wide receiver and cornerback for their low rankings. And he also indicated that the uncertain future of Sam Darnold could drive potential candidates away.

The NY Jets’ job will likely be more appealing than it’s being given credit for

Those are both semi-valid points, but it’s quite the stretch to say that the Jets’ job will be the least attractive opening if all goes according to plan. Assuming the Jets continue on their current trajectory, they’re destined for the No. 1 overall pick.

And with that pick comes the grand prize of the entire draft, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. If the Jets land that top pick, everything changes.

Lawrence brings with him an appeal unrivaled by essentially any other team that could be in the market for a new coach. Combine Lawrence with nearly $90 million in cap space and a ton of draft capital over the next two years and the Jets’ job doesn’t look too bad.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but the resources are there to turn the fortunes of the franchise around. The new coach won’t be saddled with an older roster full of bad contracts.

Instead, they’ll be given a clean slate — a fresh canvas of sorts. But that canvas will come with one of the most highly-touted quarterback prospects in the history of the sport.

Is it enough to compete with a team like the Los Angeles Chargers or even Atlanta Falcons? Perhaps not, but it certainly wouldn’t be less appealing than the Jacksonville Jaguars’ job or even the Detroit Lions’ position.

The Jets’ job deserves more credit, especially if they finish with that top pick. They’ll have the opportunity to land a much better candidate than Adam Gase this time around.

They just need to make the right choice.