Jets’ shocking Tanner Engstrand decision caps disastrous coaching search

The New York Jets have taken what can only be described as an “unorthodox” approach to their coaching search this offseason. And on Tuesday, Aaron Glenn may have played his strangest card yet, parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.

The Jets had been heavily considering demoting Engstrand over the last few days, with the team planning to bring in a veteran offensive assistant — perhaps someone in the mold of ex-NFL head coach Frank Reich — to be their offensive play-caller.

The plan seemed to be to find a new home for Engstrand on the staff, quite possibly while retaining his offensive coordinator label. Instead, the Jets waited until the end of January to officially fire him.

It’s the latest installment in what has been a mess of a coaching overhaul for the Jets this offseason. Glenn has now fired both of his coordinators and the majority of his staff after just one year on the job, and the search to replace his top assistants has been… an experience, to say the least.

Jets fire OC Tanner Engstrand in latest dysfunctional coaching blunder

Engstrand was far from perfect in his first year with the Jets, leading one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL, but the belief among many was that the former Lions assistant showed enough promise to warrant another year as play-caller.

Glenn, eyeing an increased role on the defensive side of the ball, wanted to bring in a more experienced name to essentially serve as the "head coach of the offense." Engstrand didn't fit that bill, which is why the initial plan was to demote him.

Evidently, the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a reworked role, which is why they decided to mutually part ways. The issue is the Jets waited until Jan. 27 to make this move. Many teams have already completed their interview processes, with some even hiring new coordinators.

Meanwhile, the Jets are back at square one, and it appears they’re starting over on the defensive side of the ball as well after talks with Wink Martindale reportedly went south. The team announced a virtual interview with Miami Dolphins assistant Brian Duker for its defensive coordinator vacancy on Tuesday.

The Jets completed their initial round of virtual interviews over 10 days ago. They brought in multiple defensive coordinator candidates for in-person meetings. Now, it's the end of January, and they're starting over again.

The Jets seem primed to go into the month of February with no offensive coordinator, no defensive coordinator, and virtually no coaching staff. They started their OC search on Jan. 27 and essentially restarted their DC search the same day.

That’s about as disjointed a coaching search as you’ll find at the NFL level. Why would any coach with any reputation sign on to a staff that looks as unstable and short-term as any in the league heading into 2026?

This looks like a lame-duck staff making desperation moves to cling to whatever job security it can find. Maybe it works. Who knows, the NFL is unpredictable. But from a process standpoint, this has been about as disastrous a coaching search as the Jets have ever conducted.