NY Jets tried to hire a veteran coach this offseason but struck out

The NY Jets made some important and necessary changes to their coaching staff this offseason, parting ways with a number of key offensive assistants from a year ago.

The Jets moved on from quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese, running backs coach Taylor Embree, and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni in a trio of under-the-radar but significant moves.

The team hired the likes of Tony Dews and Shawn Jefferson to replace the aforementioned Embree and Azzanni, but the Jets never brought in a direct replacement for Calabrese. As it turns out, the Jets did have plans to hire another coach.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh spoke to reporters at the NFL's annual owners meetings on Monday and he revealed that the Jets attempted to hire a senior offensive assistant to their coaching staff.

Unfortunately, the Jets weren't able to land any of the coaches they targeted. As a result, the Jets will be leaning heavily on offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and passing game coordinator Todd Downing this season.

The NY Jets had trouble finding a veteran offensive assistant coach

This Jets regime is no stranger to the idea of a veteran offensive assistant coach. The team previously brought in the well-traveled Matt Cavanaugh to fill that role during the 2021 season.

It seems the Jets preferred to bring in another coach for a similar role in 2024, likely to alleviate some of the pressure from Hackett and Downing. Instead, the opposite is going to happen.

The Jets parted ways with their quarterbacks coach, meaning that both Hackett and Downing now have increased responsibility heading into the 2024 season. Downing, in particular, will be primarily tasked with replacing Calabrese on top of his current role.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Jets struggled to find a coach willing to take that role. The team had issues attracting assistant coaches this offseason, with respected veterans such as Duce Staley and Bill Callahan opting for offers from other teams instead.

There isn't much job security with the current Jets coaching staff. Every coach around the league is well aware that the team's entire coaching staff could be fired if the Jets fail to reach the playoffs in 2024.

That's not exactly an attractive situation for a coach in search of a new job. The Jets reached out to a number of candidates to fill their offensive assistant role, but per Saleh, they weren't able to land any of them.

The Jets will be leaning on Hackett and Downing even more in 2024. But if we're being honest, Aaron Rodgers might be the Jets' most important offense "coach" next season regardless.