The Jets may have finished 24th in total offense but they’re leading the league in interviews. Bobby Slowik on Thursday night marked the 12th candidate Woody Johnson and the Jets have interviewed. New York also has completed 15 interviews for its vacant GM role.
“I guess Mike Tannenbaum just keeps throwing people at the Jets,” said former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason Friday on the Boomer & Gio show, referring to Tannenbaum’s 33rd Team thinktank running the search for the Jets. “I guess that he wants to continue to talk to as many people as he possibly can and be as thorough as he possibly can.
“Woody is directly 100-percent involved and it’s going to be his decision. And maybe he’s already made his decision. He might have already made his decision. He may really want Aaron Glenn.”
If true, Johnson and the Jets likely will have to wait. NFL rules prohibit New York from hiring Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator drafted by the Jets in 1994, or any other candidate until that coach’s season ends. For Glenn, that could be Sunday should the Commanders upset the Lions on Saturday night, or possibly as long as Feb. 10, the day after Super Bowl LIX. Glenn is also a leading candidate in New Orleans and interviewed with most of the other teams with vacancies this month.
In the meantime, the Jets are interviewing as many candidates as possible. And why not? Those meetings are extremely valuable, providing the Jets with first-hand knowledge of opponent philosophies, schemes and personnel.
They’re not done, either. The Jets are reportedly scheduled to meet with Brian Flores, Luke McCown and Jeff Hafley this week. Since the Vikings and Packers are no longer alive in the NFC playoffs, the Jets would be free to hire any of those three, or any other candidate not playing. Many wonder why the league doesn’t pause the hiring process until after the Super Bowl. It’s not likely to happen, though, for several reasons.
- Moving the hiring cycle after the Super Bowl would most likely encourage tampering, speaking to prospects under contract with other teams without permission.
- The personal lives of candidates and their families – as well as assistant coaches and families — would be in limbo much longer than they are now.
- The offseason schedule begins with the Reese’s Senior Bowl practices the last week of January, followed by the combine at the end of February. Free agency begins with the new league year in mid-March. The annual league meeting with owners, GMs and head coaches happens shortly after.
“The other thing,” Esiason added, “if Brian Flores is going to get a job, he may be bringing some assistants with him from Minnesota. So therefore, Minnesota’s got to get on the horse and either start elevating assistants or hiring other people. They need to fill in where these guys are leaving. So, you’d like to get this stuff done as quickly as possible because there’s a lot reactionary stuff that has to happen behind the scenes. And like I said, you get your coach now, you’re going to have your pickings of all the other coaches out there.”
There’s a reason why Bill Belichick would always say after winning Super Bowls that the Patriots were far behind other teams and needed to catch up. Todd Monken and Kellen Moore, respective offensive coordinators for the Ravens and Eagles, are feeling a little of that this weekend. Both are interviewing for head-coach roles while preparing their teams for crucial divisional playoff games.
But unless the world somehow adds a 13th month to the calendar, don’t expect the process to change.
For more information on the Jets and the NFL hiring cycle, visit the N.Y. Jets teampage and Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.
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