11 coaches connected to the NY Jets' offensive coordinator job

The NY Jets have been connected to a number of different offensive coordinator candidates since the team parted ways with Mike LaFleur this week. The Jets are expected to cast a wide net in their search for LaFleur's replacement.

From veteran coaches who have been around the game for a while to inexperienced coaches who compare similarly to LaFleur, the Jets have reportedly expressed interest in quite a few candidates.

Head coach Robert Saleh is looking for someone who can help fix the Jets' offense following a difficult two years. Of course, improved quarterback play will go a long way, but the Jets clearly felt the need to make a chance to the coaching staff as well.

So who might the Jets hire to be their next offensive coordinator? Let's take a look at 11 coaches that have already been connected to the Jets in rumors and reports.

11. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Matt Nagy

ESPN's Rich Cimini identified former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy as someone the Jets could be interested in for their open offensive coordinator position.

Nagy fits the bill of an experienced former offensive coordinator that the Jets could be looking for. He spent a decade working under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City before he was awarded the Bears' head coach job in 2018.

His tenure in Chicago got off to a hot start, but he never managed to capture the magic of that first year. Nagy was let go following the 2021 season and re-joined Reid in Kansas City as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2022.

There is no direct connection between Saleh and Nagy, but if the Jets are looking for a veteran coach who has ties to the New Jersey area, Nagy makes sense.

10. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Nathaniel Hackett

Nathaniel Hackett is another name Cimini mentioned as a potential target for the Jets. Much like Nagy, Hackett is a veteran offensive coach who endured a, let's call it "unsuccessful," tenure as a head coach.

Hackett was fired after less than a full season as head coach of the Denver Broncos last year in what is likely one of the most disastrous stints as a head coach in NFL history.

That said, he's found some success as an offensive coordinator in the past with Jacksonville and Green Bay. He helped lead Blake Bortles to the AFC Championship Game in 2018 and worked under Saleh's best friend, Matt LaFleur, with the Packers.

Hackett's father, Paul, is a former offensive coordinator of the Jets as well so he has ties to the organization in more than one way. It would make sense if the Jets inquired about Hackett.

9. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Greg Olson

Numerous sources have connected former Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson to the Jets, including Cimini. Olson makes a ton of sense for the Jets if they're serious about acquiring Derek Carr.

Olson worked closely with Carr as his offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 and previously crossed paths with Robert Saleh in Jacksonville. The connections are obvious.

Olson spent the 2022 season as a senior offensive assistant under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. With the Rams reportedly targeting Mike LaFleur for their offensive coordinator job, perhaps the two teams can exchange an informal swap of sorts.

A Carr/Olson ticket is likely very appealing for the Jets.

8. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Nick Caley

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported a list of three names the Jets are expected to be interested in for their offensive coordinator job on Friday, and one of those names was New England Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley.

Caley spent a decade coaching at the collegiate level from 2005 to 2014 before joining the Patriots in 2015 as an offensive assistant. The Ohio native might be the most unknown of all the candidates on the list.

Caley is just 39 years old and his most prestigious position title at any point in his career has been a tight ends coach. He's never called plays, been a coordinator, or held any role greater than a position coach.

Still, the Jets clearly see something in him. It's hard not to feel like this would be an underwhelming hire, however.

7. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Marcus Brady

Of the three names listed by Rapoport in his report, Marcus Brady is the only one with prior offensive coordinator experience at the NFL level. Brady served as the Indianapolis Colts' OC from 2021 to 2022 before he was fired in early November.

Brady didn't call plays in Indianapolis as head coach Frank Reich did, but he did work closely with Reich and has experience working with quarterbacks as a former QB coach.

His resume is hardly the most impressive on this list, but he has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL and there's a Philadelphia Eagles connection with Joe Douglas. Brady currently serves as an offensive consultant with the Eagles.

Jets fans will probably be hoping for a hotter candidate than Brady, but he's on this list for a reason. The Jets are considering him.

6. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Brian Johnson

Speaking of Eagles connections, Brian Johnson was the last name mentioned in that Rapoport report. Johnson has been the Eagles' quarterbacks coach in each of the last two seasons and has served a pivotal role in the development of Jalen Hurts.

Johnson helped develop Hurts from an inconsistent mid-round project of a quarterback into a legitimate All-Pro this season. He's received plenty of praise for his work with Hurts and it's what's allowed him to be on the Jets' radar.

You can bet that Joe Douglas has had conversations with his friend Howie Roseman about Johnson and that connection could come in handy.

Johnson also has some experience calling plays as an offensive coordinator at the University of Florida so he's not a completely unproven commodity. Of the three coaches in Rapoport's report, Johnson is probably the most intriguing.

5. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Frank Reich

This is the pipedream for the Jets. The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported this week that Frank Reich was "on the list" of potential Jets offensive coordinator candidates. However, Jets fans shouldn't get their hopes up.

Reich has multiple head coach interviews lined up and will likely have more appealing opportunities at his disasposal. Even if he isn't offered a head coach job, why would he choose the Jets' offensove coordinator opening?

The Jets have had a historical revolving door at the offensive coordinator spot and the job very well could be a one-and-done situation if the team fails to make the playoffs in 2023.

The Jets are likely going to have a difficult time attracting top candidates. Even if they want Reich, Reich probably doesn't want them.

4. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Kevin Patullo

The Jets officially interviewed Eagles passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo on Friday, the first known interview the Jets have conducted. Once again, that Douglas/Eagles connection pops up.

Some Jets fans might remember Patullo from the early Todd Bowles days. Patullo served as the Jets' quarterbacks coach in 2015 and 2016, and he probably deserves some credit for the work he did with Ryan Fitzpatrick that first year.

Since then, Patullo has had stints at Texas A&M and with the Colts since then before joining the Eagles in 2022. Much like Brian Johnson, Patullo will receive credit for helping develop Jalen Hurts and that entire Eagles passing game.

Patullo feels like a lateral move (if not a downgrade) from Mike LaFleur, but it's easy to see why the Jets are interested.

3. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Pep Hamilton

It wasn't long ago that Pep Hamilton was one of the hottest assistant coaches in the game. The DC Defenders head coach has been around for a while with his first major opportunity coming with the Jets in 2003.

Hamilton spent three years with the Jets serving as everything from an offensive quality control coach to a quarterbacks coach to a wide receivers coach. His most recent success came in 2020 as the quarterbacks coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hamilton was seen as an instrumental part of Justin Herbert's development and was even seen as a future head coach by many. His stock has fallen a little in recent years as his work with the Houston Texans has been less than stellar.

Still, Hamilton has a solid track record and would be an exciting hire for the Jets, even if his stint as offensive coordinator in Houston hasn't done him any favors.

2. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Joe Brady

One additional name was added to the Jets' offensive coordinator mix on Friday: former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Much like Hamilton, Brady was arguably the hottest offensive assistant in football a few years ago following his success developing Joe Burrow at LSU. Burrow's rise from middling starter to Heisman winner was largely credited to Brady's coaching.

It was enough to earn him an offensive coordinator gig with the Carolina Panthers in 2020. But once like Hamilton again, his tenure in Carolina was ill-fated, partially due to the failures of head coach Matt Rhule.

Brady has helped rehab his image as the quarterbacks coach of the Buffalo Bills this season and he likely deserves another opportunity to be an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Perhaps that opportunity comes with the Jets.

1. NY Jets offensive coordinator target: Darrell Bevell

Perhaps no coach has been connected to the Jets' offensive coordinator job more over the last few days than Darrell Bevell. The longtime offensive assistant has ample offensive coordinator experience and ties to the Jets' coaching staff.

Bevell has 15 years of offensive coordinator experience with his best work undoubtedly coming in Seattle. The 53-year-old coordinator helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl, even if he will always be remembered for his questionable play call on one of the most infamous plays in NFL history.

Bevell's stint as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, however, didn't go as well. Bevell was fired after just one season as part of Urban Meyer's failed tenure. He even served as the interim head coach over the final four games of the season after Meyer was fired.

Bevell's connections to Robert Saleh (Seattle) and his ample experience make him as likely a candidate as anyone to be the Jets' next offensive coordinator.