Ranking the 4 best offensive coordinator candidates for the NY Jets

The NY Jets have already conducted interviews with a total of six candidates for their vacant offensive coordinator position, and it's likely that there are more coming in the future.

The likes of Nathaniel Hackett, Brian Johnson, Kevin Patullo, Marcus Brady, Nick Caley, and Chad O'Shea have all already interviewed for the position. On top of that, the team showed interest in the likes of Darrell Bevell and Bill Callahan but were rejected by both.

The Jets have also been connected to quite a few other candidates who are yet to interview at the time of writing. It's possible that those connections won't extend beyond speculation, but it's also certainly possible the Jets bring them in to interview.

The moral of the story is that the Jets are casting a wide net (coaching cycle buzz phrase, I know) in their search for Mike LaFleur's candidate. The team has publicly stated that they're willing to explore new schemes, and it's clear that there's no experience requirement.

The Jets have interviewed experienced candidates like Hackett and inexperienced candidates like Johnson and Caley. The team just wants a good OC, their background isn't as important.

Unfortunately, the list of candidates the Jets have interviewed so far can best be described as...uninspiring. Is there a saving grace among the group? Are there other potential candidates that are more appealing?

That's what we're set to analyze today. This list will only include realistic candidates who have been connected to the Jets, though. I know many fans would sign up for a Todd Monken hire, but there's been no indication that there's a connection between the two sides at the time of writing.

With that, let's rank the four most appealing offensive coordinator candidates the Jets could realistically hire.

4. NY Jets OC candidate: Brian Johnson

Of the six candidates the Jets have interviewed so far, the one that intrigues me the most is Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.

Johnson may only be 35 years old, but the former Utah standout has found success with every coaching job he's had. Following a four-year stint at his alma mater, Johnson left to become Dak Prescott's QB coach at Mississippi State.

He spent a year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston before a job opened up at the University of Florida under his old friend and coach, Dan Mullen.

Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator at Florida in 2020 where he oversaw a monster, record-setting season from Kyle Trask. That was enough to earn him his first NFL job as the quarterbacks coach of the Eagles.

Johnson has quickly risen up the coaching ranks and has the offensive coordinator experience the Jets are looking for, even if it's not at the NFL level. The former NCAA video game cover athlete was an OC at Utah, Houston, and Florida before joining the Eagles' coaching staff.

In Philadelphia, Johnson has helped develop Jalen Hurts from a project of a mid-round draft pick into a legitimate All-Pro quarterback this season. It's no surprise that Johnson has received some offensive coordinator consideration in the NFL.

Rather than run it back with a retread like Nathaniel Hackett or Marcus Brady, and rather than go for inexperienced coaches with less encouraging resumes like Nick Caley and Chad O'Shea, the Jets should seriously consider Brian Johnson.

If the Jets are going to give the job to another inexperienced candidate, Johnson is the most appealing to me.

3. NY Jets OC candidate: Greg Olson

The Jets haven't interviewed Greg Olson yet, but plenty have speculated that the team would be interested, especially given the veteran coach's ties to Derek Carr. He deserves a spot on this list.

Olson is a longtime NFL offensive coordinator who has had stints in the pros with seven different organizations over the last 23 years. Perhaps most importantly, he was Carr's offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 before Josh McDaniels cleaned house.

Olson has ample experience working with quarterbacks and has found success as a play-caller as well. The Raiders ranked eighth in the NFL in yards per game in each of Olson's final two seasons in Las Vegas. They ranked 12th the year before, also under Olson's watch.

After leaving the Raiders, Olson spent the 2022 season as a senior offensive assistant under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.

With McVay staying for at least another season and the Rams expected to go in a different direction with their offensive coordinator hire, it would make sense for Olson to pursue other opportunities.

Perhaps that opportunity is with the Jets. If the Jets do end up hiring Olson, that would be a pretty strong indication that they're serious about their pursuit of Carr. Olson's history with Carr is certainly notable.

Olson wouldn't be a slam-dunk, can't-miss hire for the Jets. He's had some less-than-stellar offenses in the past. But he's also a very experienced coordinator who has found success in the NFL and who has ties to a quarterback the team is probably targeting.

Basically, he's a better version of Nathaniel Hackett. I could get on board with this hire.

2. NY Jets OC candidate: Joe Brady

It wasn't long ago that Joe Brady was one of the hottest candidates in the coaching world. Despite his age and lack of experience, Brady was pegged as a future NFL head coach following his work with Joe Burrow and the entire LSU offense in 2019.

Brady was seen as the mastermind behind college football's most explosive offense and the man who helped transform Burrow from a middling college starter to a Heisman winner and No. 1 overall draft pick.

When new Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule hired him as his new offensive coordinator, it was seen as a coup for the organization. Unfortunately, few would have predicted just how disastrous Rhule's tenure in Carolina would be.

Brady was fired midway through his second season with the Panthers, and many believed he was made to be the scapegoat for Rhule's struggles. The young coordinator wasn't perfect, and his lack of experience showed at times, but he was also dealt an impossible quarterback position.

Brady helped rehabilitate his reputation as the quarterbacks coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and has once again popped up on the offensive coordinator radar. The Jets are among the teams interested.

The Jets have not formally interviewed Brady yet, but reports suggest they're "doing their homework on him." Brady deserves another opportunity as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, and the Jets should be the team to give him that shot.

He doesn't have the experience of someone like Greg Olson, but Brady has an impressive resume and is still held in high regard around the league. This would be an excellent, swing-for-the-fences hire for the Jets.

1. NY Jets OC candidate: Frank Reich

I was all ready to not include Frank Reich on this list and just roll with the three other candidates, but that was before a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler came out on Friday that suggested Reich is on the Jets' radar.

Fowler reported that the Jets are interested in speaking with Reich about their vacant offensive coordinator position, depending on what happens with his head coach opportunities.

Now, would Reich actually consider joining the Jets? That's a different question. But the Jets are clearly interested, and that interest is why he belongs on this list.

Put simply, Reich would be a home-run hire for Gang Green or any organization for that matter. Reich has the NFL experience and coaching resume that the Jets are looking for.

The New York native was the mastermind behind the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl winning offense and found considerable success with the Indianapolis Colts despite a revolving door at the quarterback position.

Reich is one of the hottest head coach candidates out there right now. If the Jets can somehow convince him to join their organization as an offensive coordinator, fans should be doing cartwheels outside the doors of One Jets Drive.

Not only is Reich an experienced offensive play caller, but he was also one of the most respected head coaches in football before his surprising firing this past season. There's no other way to say it — if the Jets have the opportunity to hire Frank Reich, they can't pass it up.

On a list of mostly uninspiring candidates, Reich stands out as the belle of the ball.