New York Jets

The New York Jets may stay inside the division for their next head coach.

On Sunday, the Jets announced they interviewed Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for their vacant head coaching position. Daboll helped lead the Bills to an AFC East title this season as quarterback Josh Allen made significant strides as an MVP candidate in his system.

Buffalo is also coming off a playoff victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

Daboll has been a coach in the NFL in some capacity since 2000.

He was a defensive assistant, wide receivers and tight ends coach for the New England Patriots, quarterbacks coach for the Jets (2007-08), and offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. He was also the offensive coordinator for Alabama in 2017.

The Crimson Tide won the national championship that season, and Daboll has been the offensive coordinator for the Bills ever since.

All it takes is one look at Buffalo's offense to show what Daboll is capable of as an offensive coach. The Bills finished No. 2 in the league in scoring, tied for second in yards, No. 3 in passing yards and No. 1 in third-down efficiency during the 2020 campaign.

Allen completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while Stefon Diggs (1,535 receiving yards and eight touchdowns) and Cole Beasley (967 receiving yards and four touchdowns) thrived as top-notch receiving options.

New York has not made the playoffs since the 2010 season and fired Adam Gase after it went 2-14 during the 2020 campaign.

The next head coach may have a rookie quarterback to work with if the Jets decide to take one with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell took to Twitter on Sunday morning stating his intention to remain with the program amid reports of interest from the NFL.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Saturday that Campbell would not interview for the New York Jets opening.

The 41-year-old finished off a nine-win season with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oregon on January 2 and has revitalized one of the Big 12's most dormant programs. The Jets parted ways with head coach Adam Gase after two seasons and a 9-23 record.

New York was reportedly interested in Campbell before it hired Gase in 2019, only for the ISU coach to decline an interview. Campbell's stock has only continued to surge since then as his success with the Cyclones has made him one of the most desired coaches for any general manager or athletic director.

In five years at Iowa State, Campbell is 35-28 (26-19 Big 12) and has been to four consecutive bowl games. It seems the coach won't be leaving for the Jets now that he has the program rolling.

According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Campbell and Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald are the "college coaches who are generating the most buzz right now."

General manager Joe Douglas made clear after Gase's firing that the team would conduct a far-reaching search for its next head coach.

"I think we're going to cast a wide net," Douglas said. "I think there's great coaches at the pro level and college level. If there's a coach on the college level that meets that criteria of leadership, communication and collaboration, has a strong vision of what they want this team to look like and the identity of this team, I don't think we're going to shy away from that."

That just won't be Campbell. 

The New York Jets announced Saturday they completed an interview with Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady for their head coaching vacancy.

Brady, one of the hottest names on this year's NFL coaching carousel, interviewed with the Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers earlier this week.

The 31-year-old Florida native won the 2019 Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in college football for his work as LSU's passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. The Tigers, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, threw for 61 touchdowns during a 15-0 run to the national championship.

Brady was hired by first-year Panthers head coach Matt Rhule as offensive coordinator for the 2020 season.

Carolina finished 21st in total offense (349.5 yards per game) and 18th in passing yards (243.0 per game), but star running back Christian McCaffrey, a major factor in the aerial attack, was limited to just three appearances because of ankle, shoulder and quadriceps injuries.

In mid-December, Brady was asked about the mediocre numbers.

"We've had opportunity to score touchdowns and kick field goals, and our goal in every single week is to win the football game. And so, if we're not winning the football game, then we have to evaluate what we're doing," he told reporters. "I know they haven't been the results that we want, but it's something that we want to be a part of it. We got to take make the most of it when we get those opportunities."

The Panthers missed the playoffs with a 5-11 record.

Meanwhile, the Jets are searching for a new head coach after Adam Gase was fired Sunday following a 2-14 season. He led the team to a 9-23 mark across two years.

New York has to decide between moving forward with Sam Darnold as its franchise quarterback or considering one of the options who will be available with the second overall pick in the 2021 draft. It's a group led by Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson.

Given Brady's offensive pedigree, he would have a major voice in that decision if hired by New York.

Before his time with LSU and Carolina, he worked as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints for two years beginning in 2017.

The New York Jets confirmed they interviewed Marvin Lewis for their head coaching vacancy.

Lewis spent 16 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before getting fired after the 2018 season. He compiled a 131-122-3 record with the franchise and guided Cincinnati to the playoffs on seven occasions.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted Lewis has also interviewed for the Houston Texans' and Detroit Lions' vacancies.

SNY's Ralph Vacchiano listed the coaches linked to New York so far prior to Lewis' interview:

By the time of his departure, Lewis' tenure with the Bengals had run its course. They reached the playoffs in 2015 with a career-best 12-4 regular-season mark and then failed to win more than seven games over any of the next three years.

Any team that hires him is unlikely to generate a ton of enthusiasm within its fanbase. He turned 62 in September, and his failure to get Cincinnati past the Wild Card Round was notable.

The Bengals' performance over the past two seasons has arguably burnished his resume, however. They've won six combined games, and All Bengals' Elise Jesse provided a peek into a dysfunctional organization under current head coach Zac Taylor.

Lewis didn't take the franchise to the heights it enjoyed in the 1980s, but he did bring a level of stability and consistency that was absent prior to his arrival. He deserves another shot to coach an NFL team. The Idaho State product spent last season as the co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State.

The Pennsylvania native was a defensive coordinator prior to coaching Cincinnati, and the Bengals were rarely considered an explosive offensive team. That's likely going to be a consideration for the Jets since they'll either be looking to get Sam Darnold's development back on track or building the offense around a new quarterback.

Cincinnati was fourth in points and sixth in yards in 2005, Carson Palmer's first year as a starter. Perhaps Lewis would've built an elite offense were it not for Palmer's knee injury in the 2005 playoffs. The Bengals never recaptured the magic from that season.

Still, Lewis showed what he could do with an elite quarterback. That's not a descriptor you'd use for Darnold now, but he might flourish like Ryan Tannehill now that Adam Gase is no longer calling the plays.

The New York Jets announced Wednesday they have interviewed Eric Bieniemy to potentially fill their head coaching vacancy.

Bieniemy has spent the past three years as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, leading an offense that finished 2020 first in the NFL in total yards.

He is an option to replace Adam Gase, whom the Jets fired after two seasons together.

New York finished this year 2-14 and went 9-23 in two seasons under Gase. It continues an extended stretch of poor play that has featured 10 years without a playoff berth and spanned three coaches.

The Jets have cast a wide net for their next coach and are expected to interview Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, per ESPN's Rich Cimini and Adam Schefter, as well as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is also expected to get an interview, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.

Bieniemy remains a strong candidate as a nine-year NFL running back with an impressive resume as a coach. He has been with the Chiefs for eight seasons under Andy Reid, becoming the offensive coordinator in 2018 and immediately guiding the league's No. 1 scoring offense.

In 2019, Kansas City took home its first Super Bowl in 50 years behind Patrick Mahomes and an elite offense.

There's competition for Bieniemy, however, as he has also interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers, per Schefter. 

Quite a few uncertainties surround the New York Jets in 2021.

Who will replace Adam Gase as head coach? Will running back Frank Gore return for his 17th year in the NFL? Will Sam Darnold be the starting quarterback?

General manager Joe Douglas did little Tuesday to clear the air on that last question, noting there are "a lot of decisions to make" and Darnold's future will partly depend on the team's new head coach.

"I think Sam has a very bright future in this league," Douglas told reporters. "We're going to get a head coach in here, we're going to get together and we're going to talk about quite a few decisions. I'm excited about Sam."

In his third year with the Jets, Darnold commanded the league's worst offense while collecting 2,208 passing yards and nine touchdowns on 59.6 percent passing but improved to a career-low 11 interceptions.

Douglas blamed the team's offensive struggles on the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries. The Jets' two top receivers, Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman, missed four games each, as did Darnold. New York won just two games, but it knocked off playoff-bound teams.

Darnold helped engineer upset wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns with zero turnovers in Weeks 15 and 16, though he tallied only 382 yards and three scores.

Previously, Douglas had committed to Darnold's future with the team. Darnold wasn't on the table at the trade deadline, and when the Jets were 0-8, Douglas said Darnold was the team's "quarterback for the future," per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

According to Cimini, the Jets have asked permission to interview "at least six NFL coordinators," and Douglas said he is open to a collegiate candidate looking for their first NFL gig.

The Jets will draft at No. 2 behind the 1-15 Jacksonville Jaguars. The team's perspective on Darnold could very well change as it looks to make improvements for 2021.

New York Jets running back Frank Gore, who will be a free agent in March, said Tuesday he is "open" to playing again in the 2021 season. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Gore said he would return "in the right circumstance." The veteran rushed for 653 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. He started 14 games after the release of Le'Veon Bell.

Gore turns 38 in May and has played in 241 career games, the most for a running back in NFL history. The Jets went 2-14 in a largely miserable 2020 season, with Gore saying the losing weighed on him. 

"Yeah, I'd say it's tough, because it's the stage of my career," Gore told reporters in November. "I was younger in San Fran, and I always felt like, 'I got time, I got time.' Now, I don't know if I'm going to play next year and...I don't know.

"You just never know. I've got to be real with myself, how teams think about my age. They might not want a 38-year-old running back on the team. It's tough because I don't know about next year."

Gore has switched teams each off the last three offseasons, going from the Miami Dolphins to the Buffalo Bills to the Jets. Each stop has seen him getting far more work than expected when he signed with the respective franchises. Gore has started 36 games over the past three seasons despite being by far the NFL's oldest active running back.

Gore and Adrian Peterson are the only two active running backs who are 33 years old or older. Peterson turns 36 in March. 

If he ultimately wins up walking away, Gore will finish his career as the NFL's third leading rusher with 16,000 yards. 

The New York Jets reportedly have requested to interview Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for their head-coaching vacancy. 

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Daboll is among several coaches with whom the Jets plan to pursue interviews. ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported the Jets are planning to discuss the opening with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Pelissero later reported the Jets also requested to meet with New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, while Schefter noted New York asked to interview Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.

Bieniemy stands out given his recent success with Kansas City. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and have the No. 1 seed in the AFC this season in large part because of their dominant offense. Bieniemy has helped scheme ways for Patrick Mahomes to consistently get the ball to a number of playmakers, including Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

As for Smith, the Titans have made the playoffs in each of his two years as offensive coordinator. Running back Derrick Henry never made a Pro Bowl before Smith became the OC, but he has led the league in rushing the last two seasons.

The Jets could look to the defensive side of the ball as well. Eberflus' Colts defense was 10th in the league in points allowed per game, while Graham's Giants were ninth. No defense gave up fewer than the 18.5 points per game Staley's Rams allowed this season.

As for Daboll, he has been the Bills' offensive coordinator since 2018 and has been instrumental in the development of Josh Allen from a raw, physically gifted prospect to a Pro Bowler. Few would have marked Daboll as one of the hottest assistant coaching candidates in the sport before the 2020 season, which saw Allen break into a franchise star with a wide-open offensive attack.

After scheming to avoid Allen's worst impulses through his mistake-riddled first two seasons, Daboll opened things up after the acquisition of Stefon Diggs and saw one of the biggest year-over-year improvements in recent league history. Allen threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, adding 421 yards and eight scores on the ground in 2020. He completed 69.2 percent of his passes after connecting on just 56.3 percent his first two seasons. 

Allen is now the Bills' single-season leader in passing yards, touchdowns, completions, completion percentage and rushing yards and touchdowns by a quarterback.

It's unclear whether Daboll would be open to leaving a stable situation in Buffalo for the Jets, who went 2-14 this season and profile as one of the least talented teams in football for 2021. A late-season two-game winning streak cost the Jets the No. 1 pick and a guaranteed shot at Trevor Lawrence, though Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are considered strong prospects at the quarterback position.

It's possible, if not likely, Daboll could have a better offer as the coaching carousel heats up. The Jets rank at or near the bottom of the best coaching vacancies in the NFL, so they may have to wait until stronger rosters get their pick before landing their replacement for Adam Gase. 

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is facing quite the important decision.   

After the team announced it fired head coach Adam Gase following Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reported Douglas will be the one largely in charge of finding the next head coach.

"It's Joe's show," a source told Hughes, who also reported CEO Christopher Johnson and president Hymie Elhai will have smaller roles in the search.

The Jets' decision to fire Gase was anything but a surprise.

He was just 9-23 in two seasons at the helm and didn't develop Sam Darnold, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, into the franchise cornerstone so many hoped he would become.

New York was 2-14 this year and has not made the playoffs since the 2010 campaign.

That makes this upcoming offseason all the more important for Douglas, who joined the Jets following the 2019 NFL draft. Hughes reported he will face "no financial restrictions in free agency" and direct the draft strategy, all while leading the charge to find the next coach.

New York will have approximately $100 million in cap space to work with this offseason and has nine picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 and 2022 drafts. The opportunity to build a consistent winner is right in front of Douglas, and the coach will be a major part of the rebuilding process.

So will the No. 2 pick, which could be Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields or BYU quarterback Zach Wilson if the Jets want a new signal-caller of the future to go with their new coach.

One thing is certain, though. This is a massive offseason for Douglas.