NY Jets: Joe Douglas will reportedly pick the team’s next head coach

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Joe Douglas Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

NY Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas will pick the team’s next head coach.

The NY Jets royally screwed up their coaching search two years ago. Not only did they hire a widely-accepted poor candidate in Adam Gase, but the entire hiring process was doomed to fail from the start.

Rather than let their general manager lead the search for a new head coach, owner Christopher Johnson took charge. Perhaps that was because their GM, Mike Maccagnan, would be fired only a few months later in an oddly-timed departure.

Maccagnan had a say, but the final input came from Johnson. The Gase hire was a mistake, but the process in which Johnson and the Jets brought the former Miami head coach to New York was an unbridled disaster.

The Jets must avoid making that same mistake again in 2021 when they undoubtedly search for a new head coach. Fortunately, it appears as though the Johnsons have learned from their mistake two years ago.

General manager Joe Douglas is expected to have full autonomy in the search for a new head coach this offseason. Johnson will have input, but Douglas will have the final say.

This is the sentiment that was shared by Connor Hughes of The Athletic on his recent postgame podcast following the Jets’ 23-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. This is what Hughes had to say about the issue.

“It is going to be Joe Douglas who picks this team’s next head coach. Christopher Johnson is going to be involved in the serach. He’s obviously going to have a say, but it is Joe Douglas. He’s going to hand control of this to Joe Douglas and say ‘whoever you want, go get him.'”

The NY Jets are prepared to let Joe Douglas take the lead this offseason

That’s good news for Jets fans who were fearful that the Johnsons would meddle in the business of their general manager once again. After all, it’s primarily Christopher Johnson’s fault that the Jets are in this mess, to begin with.

As the story goes, Johnson was persuaded by NFL legend Peyton Manning to hire Gase after the two spent time together in Denver. Manning praised his former offensive coordinator, and Johnson was receptive to his words.

But this time around, the Jets can’t afford to have their owner be so easily swayed by the feeble words of someone like Peyton Manning. In fact, they can’t afford to have their owner swayed at all.

This must be Joe Douglas’ decision.

Ideally, an organization will hire a head coach and general manager at the same time to ensure that the two are on the same page. The Jets won’t have that privilege this offseason which is why it’s especially important that Douglas is on board with whoever the team hires.

They don’t want a repeat of the Adam Gase debacle for obvious reasons.

Fortunately, it appears as though the Jets are willing to trust their general manager this time. Joe Douglas should have the final say on who the franchise’s next head coach is.

And if that’s the case, Jets fans should breathe a sigh of relief.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.