Is Adam Gase the worst head coach in NY Jets history?

It already feels like the dark ages of the Adam Gase era are long in the past. With the excitement and energy already brought to the franchise this offseason thanks to new head coach Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, the NY Jets seem to be trending in the right direction.

That being said, it is often said that those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it, meaning the Adam Gase era might be over, but his impact on the Jets will likely never be forgotten.

Even at the time of his hire, Gase was already seen as a failed signing. The Jets missed out on signing now Carolina Panthers' head coach Matt Rhule, who added castaway quarterback Sam Darnold to their ranks this offseason.

They even spent a majority of the draft giving him the help the previous regime never could.

But as a new day dawns for the Jets, there is a question that likely still looms on the minds of all fans. Is Adam Gase the worst head coach in franchise history?

Is Adam Gase the worst head coach in NY Jets history?

Right off the bat, it seems like an open and shut case. Gase posted a 9-23 record with the Jets, with offenses that never ranked higher than 30th in the league. He had more losses by double digits than he had wins. He failed to help Sam Darnold reach his full potential.

If Adam Gase isn't the worst head coach in NY Jets history, he's certainly among the infamously bad hires. Before he can wear that crown, a deeper dive needs to be taken in order to give him that title.

That includes looking at some of the worst names to ever call themselves a Jets head coach.

Gase was brought onto the team just two weeks after being fired by AFC East rival Miami, where he was seemingly known for sending players he didn't like to other teams — namely Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry.

His job was to help develop Sam Darnold, ignite a fire under the offense, and help the team reach the playoffs — which they haven't done since 2010.

Gase didn't just fail to do just one of these, he drove out high-level talent like Jamal Adams, and failed to properly utilize Le'Veon Bell while privately vocalizing his dislike for signing the star running back.

It was stubbornness that had not been seen since, well, Adam Gase's time in Miami. The Jets whiffed hard on the Gase hire, but it may have not been the worst hiring in franchise history.

Perhaps fans nowadays are too young to remember the days of Rich Kotite. The infamously terrible head coach for the Jets holds the unfortunate record of posting two of the franchise's worst season records at 3-13 and 1-15.

Kotite is able to hold one thing over Adam Gase — and that is the fact that Kotite was also named the general manager of the NY Jets. Kotite is the man responsible for the infamous Kyle Brady/Warren Sapp debacle on draft night.

While Gase was tasked with helping Darnold to develop into the quarterback the team wanted after drafting him third overall, it was well known that the Jets were still quite a few years away from competing.

When the late Leon Hess hired Rich Kotite to take the reigns, he said it was to finally win with a team that hadn't done so in decades.

Considering Kotite could hardly keep up with opposing teams during his tenure, it's safe to say he failed to hit the mark.

It is easy to say that Gase is the worst coach in Jets history, but that may come with a bit of a recency bias. One thing that is important to remember is that Adam Gase was not the Jets' first choice. Matt Rhule was as good as hired before they turned down his choice in staff.

Rich Kotite was brought in to make the Jets a contender again. The fans and the franchise expected results and received anything but.

It's easy to see why Gase could compete with Kotite for the crown of the worst head coach — but it would have taken an absolutely terrible string of events for Gase to properly contend for that moniker.

Gase drove out Jamal Adams and Sam Darnold. Thankfully, he had a general manager in Joe Douglas who was able to get quite the haul of draft picks for both players.

Whether they hit on the picks or not is clearly up in the air, but fans can at least be relieved that the future seems bright in New York.

Even when it comes to being the worst, Adam Gase couldn't compete yet again.