9 veteran offensive coordinators the NY Jets could hire to replace Mike LaFleur

The NY Jets have promised to make at least one coaching change this offseason. They haven't fully committed to bringing back offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, but even if he is brought back for another year, he will be joined by a new member of the staff.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Monday that the Jets "definitely" plan to add an experienced offensive coach this offseason. At the very least, the Jets will pair LaFleur with a veteran offensive mind who has been around the NFL for a while.

But what if the Jets do decide to move on from LaFleur? It's certainly very much possible, especially if team owner Woody Johnson is looking for a scapegoat.

Consider this list a collection of coaches the Jets could add to either pair with LaFleur or hire as his replacement. As always with the NFL, connections matter. That was a primary point of emphasis when constructing this list.

9. The NY Jets could hire Troy Calhoun

Troy Calhoun is one of the longest-tenured head coaches in college football, having been with the Air Force program since 2007. Prior to that, he was a part of Gary Kubiak's very first coaching staff with the Houston Texans.

Another member of that staff? Current Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

While Saleh served as the Texans' defensive quality control coach, Calhoun was the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He spent just one year with the organization before leaving to join Air Force.

There have been some rumblings in recent years that Calhoun could jump ship to a larger college program after winning 10 games in three of the last four years, but what about a return to the NFL?

Perhaps Saleh can give his old coaching-mate a call and convince him to rejoin the NFL, either to replace LaFleur or work with him.

8. The NY Jets could hire Jay Gruden

If the Jets are looking for an experienced offensive mind to join their staff, Jay Gruden makes a ton of sense. The former Washington head coach may not have direct ties to Robert Saleh, but that doesn't mean he has no connections to the Jets' staff.

Gruden has actually crossed paths with Jets tight ends coach/assistant head coach Ron Middleton on multiple occasions, first in Tampa Bay from 2004-2006 and later in Jacksonville in 2020.

There's some familiarity there, and Gruden has ample experience as an offensive coordinator and play-caller during his 20+ years in the NFL. He spent the 2022 season serving as an offensive consultant with the Los Angeles Rams.

Perhaps Gruden stays in Los Angeles and succeeds departed offensive coordinator Liam Coen (or even Sean McVay). Or perhaps the Jets give him a call and ask him to return to the east coast.

7. The NY Jets could hire Greg Olson

Another member of that Rams staff the Jets could look at is longtime NFL assistant Greg Olson. Olson crossed paths with Saleh in Jacksonville where he served as the team's offensive coordinator for two years in 2015 and 2016.

He most recently spent time as the OC of the Raiders from 2018 to 2021 before joining the Rams as a senior offensive consultant in 2022. Much like Gruden, Olson could be a candidate to replace Coen as the Rams' new offensive coordinator.

If not, it would make a ton of sense to bring Olson to New York. He's spent the vast majority of his career as either an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach and has some familiarity with Saleh and Middleton.

Olson makes more sense as a direct replacement for LaFleur, but perhaps he could be convinced to join the staff in another role.

6. The NY Jets could hire Doug Marrone

The Jets actually interview Doug Marrone to be their new head coach in 2015 before hiring Todd Bowles. Marrone, meanwhile, joined the Jaguars organization where he would cross paths with Saleh and Middleton.

After a brief stint as the Jaguars' interim head coach in 2016, Marrone was named head coach on a permanent basis and he'd last four years in that role. He joined Alabama as the team's offensive line coach in 2021 before returning to the NFL in 2022 in the same role with the New Orleans Saints.

Marrone is a New York native who was born and raised in The Bronx before attending Syracuse and later coaching at Cortland State. He even spent time with the Jets from 2002-2005 as the team's offensive line coach.

Marrone has plenty of history with the Jets' organization and members of the team's coaching staff. If the Jets offer Marrone a pay raise or a more important role, they could poach him from the Saints.

5. The NY Jets could hire Todd Monken

Todd Monken might not have any direct ties to the Jets' coaching staff, but if the team is looking to replace LaFleur with a splash addition, he's about as good as they're going to do.

Monken was a hot head coaching commodity not too long ago before an ill-fated stint as the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator under Freddie Kitchens tanked his stock.

That was until he revitalized his career as Kirby Smart's offensive coordinator at Georgia. Monken has managed to transform Stetson Bennett from a physically-limited, walk-on quarterback into a Heisman finalist and multi-time National Champion.

NFL teams will be calling for Monken in the near future, and if the Jets are willing to throw big money at him, they might just be able to pry him away from Georgia.

4. The NY Jets could hire Gary Kubiak

Gary Kubiak makes a lot more sense for the Jets if they're bringing him in to assist Mike LaFleur instead of replacing him. Nonetheless, he deserves a mention on this list.

Saleh was a part of Kubiak's very first coaching staff as head coach of the Texans way back in 2006. He spent five years working under Kubiak before departing to join the Seahawks so the connection there is obvious.

Kubiak is also a disciple of the Shanahan coaching tree, having worked under Mike Shanahan in San Francisco and Denver from 1994 to 2005. The system should be familiar to Kubiak.

Now, it should be noted that Kubiak officially retired from coaching in 2021, but if any team could convince him to come out of retirement, the Jets probably make the most sense because of his connections and familiarity with the system.

3. The NY Jets could hire Nathaniel Hackett

The Jacksonville Jaguars ties run deep on this list as another coach who crossed paths with Saleh and Middleton in Duval County is the recently-fired Nathaniel Hackett.

Hackett may have failed miserably as a head coach with the Denver Broncos, but his near-decade of experience as an offensive coordinator could be valuable to a Jets team searching for veteran guidance.

This might not be the most inspiring option for the Jets, but Hackett is an experienced offensive assistant who has ties to Saleh and Middleton. His father, Paul Hackett, was also the Jets' offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2004.

It's not uncommon for failed head coaches to try and rehab their careers as assistants. Hackett might want to take a year off, but if not, the Jets might come calling.

2. The NY Jets could hire Darrell Bevell

Robert Saleh spent three years with the Seattle Seahawks organization from 2011 to 2013. His offensive coordinator in each of those three years? Darrell Bevell.

Bevell spent 16 seasons as an offensive coordinator in the NFL from 2006 to 2021 including stints in Minnesota, Seattle, Detroit, and Jacksonville. He won a Super Bowl with Seattle in 2014, although Bevell is perhaps best known for his ill-fated decision to throw the ball at the one-yard line in the following Super Bowl.

Nonetheless, Bevell's plethora of experience is exactly what the Jets are looking for. At the very least, the Jets want an experienced offensive voice to be in LaFleur's ear if he does stay with the team.

Bevell spent the 2022 season as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, but the Jets could look to pry him away from their division rivals with the promise of a pay raise or promotion.

1. The NY Jets could hire Kliff Kingsbury

This is the Woody Johnson hire, and also a bit of a pipedream. Kliff Kingsbury was fired this week as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after an underwhelming four-year tenure.

Kingsbury has no ties to the Jets' coaching staff (although he did play his only NFL game with the Jets in 2005) and has spent the vast majority of his coaching career at the collegiate level. He doesn't really fill the same role as the others on this list.

The Jets wouldn't bring Kingsbury in to work with LaFleur and the team would likely change their entire offensive system, but the former Texas Tech head honcho figures to be one of the most in-demand offensive coaches on the market this offseason — if he's looking for work.x

If Woody Johnson wants to make a splash and hire a big name to fix the offense, Kingsbury would likely move the needle the most. While not the most likely outcome, you can't rule this scenario out.