New York Jets

Not even a strong finish to the 2020 regular season was enough to keep Adam Gase's job.

The New York Jets announced they fired Gase on Sunday after he compiled a 9-23 record in two seasons with the franchise.

Chairman and CEO Chris Johnson released the following statement after Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots:

"This evening, I informed Adam Gase he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets. During his time here, I had the pleasure to get to know Adam and his wonderful family and wish them nothing but the best moving forward.  While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization – especially in our leadership positions – it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction. We knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done when Adam joined us in 2019. Our strong finish last year was encouraging, but unfortunately, we did not sustain that positive momentum or see the progress we all expected this season.

"To our fans, it is obvious we have not been good enough. We are committed to building a strong organization, on and off the field, and will continue to provide the necessary resources to field a team that you can be proud of."

Gase's departure has been a seeming inevitability for months. The Jets began the 2020 season with 13 straight losses before winning two straight before losing Sunday's season finale.

Gase, who served as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, is 32-48 as an NFL head coach with the Jets and Miami Dolphins. He was fired after three seasons in Miami before spending the last two with the Jets, ruffling feathers along his way to producing below-average results.

Players in both Miami and New York did not seem to take much of a liking to Gase, who showed a propensity for deflecting blame when things weren't going his team's way.

The Jets hired Gase in large part because they viewed him as someone who could help mold Sam Darnold into a franchise quarterback. That experiment has been nothing short of a failure, with Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, likely soon following Gase out the door after failing to develop.

The Jets' late-season run will likely cost them a shot at Trevor Lawrence, a can't-miss superstar in the making who would have instantly slotted in to replace Darnold. They'll now likely choose between Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson, a pair of promising quarterbacks who have more glaring flaws than Lawrence.

Gase's career as an NFL head coach seems likely to have come to an end. While he is still just 42 years old, the level of disastrous results mixed with his seeming lack of affinity with players is a bad recipe for any team looking to roll the dice on giving him a third shot.

The Jets will now open an expansive coaching search they hope will land them a leader who can develop a star quarterback in the way Gase could not.

With Adam Gase's tenure as head coach of the New York Jets likely coming to an end soon, the search for his replacement will reportedly feature several marquee names.

Per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Florida head coach Dan Mullen are on the list of potential candidates.

Rapoport and Pelissero noted the Jets are "expected to part ways" with Gase at the conclusion of Sunday's season finale against the New England Patriots.

Bieniemy appears to be the hot name for a head coaching gig among current NFL assistants. The 51-year-old has spent the past three seasons as Kansas City's offensive coordinator.

The Jets' biggest competition for Bieniemy, if they want him, is the Houston Texans. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (h/t Cody Stoots of Sports Illustrated) reported that Deshaun Watson has told Texans ownership he wants the Chiefs offensive coordinator as his next head coach.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Saturday that Harbaugh is expected to finalize an extension at Michigan through 2026. If Harbaugh wants to return to the NFL, this would seem an odd move on his part, even though college coaches always seem to find a way to get out of deals if they want to.

Mullen has no coaching experience in the NFL, though he's been very successful at the college level. The 48-year-old is 98-55 in 12 seasons between Mississippi State and Florida. He does have experience working with NFL-caliber quarterbacks, including Dak Prescott at Mississippi State and potential first-round pick Kyle Trask at Florida.

Rapoport and Pelissero noted the Jets' search is expected to be "lengthy and thorough."

Gase is in his second season with the Jets. He had a decent debut year with a 7-9 record, but the wheels fell off in 2020. The team got off to an 0-13 start before winning its last two games heading into Week 17.

Despite the lack of on-field success in 2020, the Jets have the potential for a quick turnaround. They've secured the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, an extra first-round pick this year from the Seattle Seahawks as a result of the Jamal Adams trade and five picks total in the first three rounds.

The New York Jets reportedly plan to fire head coach Adam Gase after the team's season concludes on Sunday against the New England Patriots, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The NFL Network duo then reported a long list of names in consideration for the Jets job, including Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.

Three college coaches—Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Florida's Dan Mullen—were also included on the list of names from Rapoport and Pelissero, who also wrote that a "lengthy and thorough search" is expected.

Gase, 42, has had a rough go of it in his two seasons with the Jets, leading the team to a woeful 9-22 record. While there were some circumstances outside of his control—namely quarterback Sam Darnold missing time with mononucleosis earlier in 2019—there's little question that the Jets have dramatically underachieved. 

Gase's last two stops have now been largely unsuccessful. In three seasons with the Miami Dolphins prior to joining the Jets, Gase led the team to a 23-25 record. While the Dolphins reached the postseason in 2016, they promptly went 6-10 in 2017 and 7-9 in 2018. 

The Jets, meanwhile, came into 2019 with optimism centered around young players like Darnold, Jamal Adams and Quinnen Williams and offseason signings like Le'Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley. But signs of trouble crept in even during the offseason, when the team fired general manager Mike Maccagnan in May and replaced him with Joe Douglas in June. 

That meant that the new head coach and general manager were working with a roster put together by a different general manager, and when the team reportedly fielded calls on a number of players at the trade deadline, including Adams, it was clear the Jets weren't afraid to shake up the roster. Adams would eventually get traded to the Seattle Seahawks before the 2020 season, while Bell was released in October. 

There has been instability from the front office to the coaching staff in Gase's short stint, with the team playing extremely poorly in 2020. His departure felt imminent from almost the first snap of the regular season. 

And the salt in the wound of Jets fans was that the team started 0-13 before shockingly winning the next two games. That cost them the top overall pick in the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is now in position to select Clemson quarterback (and the widely assumed top draft pick) Trevor Lawrence in the process.

At 0-13, New York Jets fans had dreams of watching their team select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. Gang Green crushed those thoughts with consecutive wins in Weeks 15 and 16, but all isn't lost in current signal-caller Sam Darnold. 

Darnold's revival isn't as captivating in comparison to a fresh start with one of the most highly touted prospects in recent memory, but that's the club's best path to progress in the coming seasons. 

The Jets will have the No. 2 overall pick, which still allows them an opportunity to draft a top quarterback such as Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson. General manager Joe Douglas must assess whether any collegiate prospect possesses a higher ceiling than Darnold. Based on early scouting reports, that's not evident. 

In his scouting notebook for Bleacher Report, Matt Miller relayed what certain NFL personnel thought about Fields and Wilson. 

An NFL quarterbacks coach had concerns about Fields' accuracy outside the hash marks and his ability to push the ball deep. 

"I love his athleticism, but his arm is just OK," said the coach. "Scheme is going to matter a lot for him. I hope wherever he goes they build around him with run-after-catch receivers and a good run game."

The Jets still need significant work on their 23rd-ranked ground attack. At 37 years old, Frank Gore led the team in carries (187) and rushing yards (653). Rookie fourth-rounder La'Mical Perine only played 200 offensive snaps.

Ironically, Wilson is projected as a less proven version of Darnold. An NFL college scouting director questioned the BYU quarterback's play style and the competition he faced at the collegiate level. 

"I have no idea how ready to play he is because the scheme is backyard football and he hasn't played anyone," said the scouting director.

When Darnold moves the pocket, he makes off-script plays that we don't often see from other quarterbacks.

Heck of a play from Sam Darnold. #Jets #Colts @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/ozzYte0lIs

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) September 27, 2020

Unlike Wilson, the USC product played against top collegiate programs with NFL talent.

Although Lawrence seems like a can't-miss prospect, Fields and Wilson have some legitimate question marks that raise concerns. Why not just build around the player who's shown potential despite a lackluster supporting cast?

As a rookie, Darnold played under ex-Jets head coach Todd Bowles, who has a defensive background, and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. The latter isn't currently on an NFL coaching staff. 

The Jets hired Adam Gase in January 2019. With Gase as head coach and offensive play-caller, Darnold has thrown for 27 touchdowns and 22 interceptions with a 60.6 percent completion rate. He has also taken 65 sacks in 24 games.

Gase took responsibility for Darnold's uneven play over the last two seasons, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

"We need to do things well around him, but at the same time, it's on me to get him to play better than what he's played," he said. "I haven't done a good enough job."

In an attempt to develop Darnold after his rookie campaign, the Jets made a poor hire. In both his and Gase's last season with the Miami Dolphins, right tackle Ja'Wuan James criticized Gase for not implementing an offensive identity, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.

"All year, we never had an offensive identity," James said. "When things go really wrong, you don't know what to go to if you don't have any identity. You just end up trying random stuff." 

In three seasons (2016-18) with the Dolphins, Gase's teams ranked 17th or worse in scoring. Miami traded quarterback Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans during the 2019 offseason, and he made significant strides under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, winning the 2019 Comeback Player of the Year award. Over the last two terms, the 32-year-old has thrown for 54 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Darnold could have the same post-Gase success if the Jets find an upgrade in the coaching ranks. Gang Green can attempt to pry Smith away from the Titans or pursue a popular candidate in Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Perhaps the team should contact former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who has drawn interest from NFL teams, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

"Meyer, according to a source connected to one of those teams, did not dismiss the overtures and is considering whether to make the jump to the NFL," Schefter reported on Dec. 27. "He intends to decide in the next week, before the NFL regular season is over, and teams expect to hear his decision in the coming days."

Under a new coaching staff led by an innovative offensive mind or someone with a track record of success as a head coach, Darnold could take off and become the franchise player that the Jets expected when they selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft. 

Instead of taking another quarterback, Douglas should consider trade offers from teams interested in moving up to the No. 2 spot for a signal-caller of their own. He can land a sizable draft haul and add that to the team's five picks within the first three rounds in 2021. 

The Jets would have the resources to maneuver around the order and pick up several pieces to strengthen Darnold's supporting cast. If Douglas keeps the No. 2 selection, he can select Oregon's Penei Sewell to pair with Mekhi Becton at offensive tackle.

With the second first-round pick, the Jets can target wideouts Jaylen Waddle or Rashod Bateman. Darnold would have a solid trio at the position with one of the aforementioned rookies, Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder.

Running backs Travis Etienne and Najee Harris could be available at the top of the second round. As collegians, they averaged 7.8 and 6.4 yards per touch, respectively, and both have the ability to play all three downs in lead roles.

Sitting at 0-8 back in November, Douglas endorsed Darnold as the franchise's "quarterback of the future," though he also said Gase is "part of the solution" going forward. If he commits to the former plan and ditches the latter, the Jets could see what they have in their signal-caller. 

This offseason, the Jets can decline Darnold's fifth-year option, and if he flops in 2021, they can make a clean break without financial strings attached. In the event the 23-year-old has a strong campaign, the front office could franchise-tag or extend him.

Looking at Tannehill's ascension after his time with the Dolphins, Darnold still has a chance to reach his fullest potential with a new regime, but his revitalization must start with a new coaching staff followed by a strong 2021 draft class.

Darnold could only do so much with Crowder as his top wide receiver and a 37-year-old as the featured running back. Douglas should upgrade his quarterback's weapons and watch him work.  

The New York Jets are still looking for their next franchise quarterback. Sam Darnold is still looking to prove he's an NFL-caliber stater. Those two ideas seem to be conflicting more than ever as the Jets' 2020 season comes to a close.

Whether or not Sunday marks Darnold's final game with New York, he remains optimistic about his future.

"I absolutely believe my best days are ahead," Darnold told reporters Thursday.

The third-year pro is 2-9 as a starter this season with 1,942 yards and eight touchdowns against nine interceptions. He has completed 58.8 percent of his passes.

New York drafted Darnold out of USC with the No. 3 pick in 2018, but he's yet to cement himself as a cornerstone. The Jets are wrapping up another horrid season and figure to pick at the top of the draft again this spring.

That makes Darnold more expendable than ever—especially since the draft class is loaded with quarterback prospects. Darnold has one year left on his rookie contract as well as a fifth-year team option. It still doesn't guarantee he'll be back with the team when training camp opens next season.

"I'm a Jet now," Darnold said. "I know we all like to think of hypotheticals and what-ifs, but I'm a Jet right now. I love being here. I love the guys in the locker room. I love going to work every single day here."

Darnold said he hasn't talked to general manager Joe Douglas about his future, though Douglas is likely to assess head coach Adam Gase before anyone else.

Keeping Darnold in the fold wouldn't exactly make sense if the team plans to clean house. For his part, Darnold said he didn't do as much to distinguish himself as he could have.

The California native has a career 59.6 completion percentage and 78.6 passer rating and has been sacked 95 times in 37 games.

"I think there are stretches where I didn't play nearly as well as I should've," Darnold said, "and I'll be the first to admit it."

The Jets have to decide if those stretches are correctable or if it's time for another change behind center.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase has taken the blame for his team having the last-ranked offense in the NFL this season. 

"It pisses me off," he told reporters Wednesday. "If there's one side of the ball I want to make sure is right, it would be that one. It has not happened, and that's on me."

Gase built his reputation as an offensive coach, most notably when he was the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator from 2013 to '14 with Peyton Manning as his quarterback. 

Denver had the league's highest-scoring offense in 2013 and ranked second in 2014. The 2013 team set NFL records with 606 points scored and 76 touchdowns.

After moving to the Chicago Bears to become their offensive coordinator in 2015, Gase led Jay Cutler to arguably his best statistical season with 3,659 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and a 64.4 percent completion rate in 15 games. 

Gase's stock rose to the point he was hired by the Miami Dolphins as head coach prior to the 2016 season. He led the team to its first playoff appearance in eight years during his first season, but went 13-19 in his final two years. 

The Jets hired Gase in January 2019 in part after receiving a recommendation from Manning, per NFL Network's Jeff Darlington. The decision hasn't paid off for the franchise, who which has the second-worst record in the league this season (2-13). 

New York's offense ranked 31st in points scored (276) and last in total yards (273 per game) last year. The unit is on pace to finish last in both categories this season with one game remaining.    

The season—and possibly a 16-year career—is over for New York Jets running back Frank Gore.

Head coach Adam Gase told reporters Monday that Gore will miss the final game of the season, scheduled for Sunday against the New England Patriots, due to a lung contusion (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). 

Gore, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets ahead of this season, ranks third on the league's all-time rushing list with 16,000 yards. He's also fourth in career yards from scrimmage. 

With 653 rushing yards and two touchdowns through 15 games this season, Gore has nearly tripled the production of the Jets' second-leading rusher, La'Mical Perine, who has 232 yards. 

The Miami product, who was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, was named to five Pro Bowls in the 10 seasons he played with the team that selected him. In 2015, he joined the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent three seasons before moving on to the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills for one year each. 

He appeared in every game from the start of the 2011 season to the Week 16 of 2018, a streak spanning 126 games. 

With free agency looming at the end of the season, Gore, who turns 38 in May, has been open about the possibility of closing the book after Week 17, though he said in November that he wouldn't want to retire if the Jets went 0-16 this season. 

Now that the team has earned its second win of the year, this may signal the end of a Hall of Fame-worthy career. 

The New York Jets may not be ready to move on from Sam Darnold just yet.

CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported the belief around the NFL is that the Jets could stick with Darnold for 2021 unless they land the No. 1 overall pick, thus giving them the chance to possibly select Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.

New York would then shop the No. 2 selection to more quarterback-needy teams:

"While Darnold's first three seasons have been punctuated by injuries and inconsistency, sources said Douglas had a strong opinion of Darnold coming out of college, and with a deep rebuild still ahead, and teams more willing than ever to include multiple first-and-second-round picks in blockbuster trades in recent years, that mode of team building would greatly appeal to him.

"'If you auction off that pick, you probably end up getting a ransom,' one NFL GM said. 'It's too early to know for sure, but I could see that be very appealing to him. It would be to me.'"

Darnold's development has gone backward since an encouraging rookie season. Through 10 starts in 2020, he has thrown for 1,767 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 59.7 percent of his passes.

Hs value outside of the organization sank to the point where ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in October that New York would probably fail to get a first-rounder in return for the 23-year-old.

As much as Darnold has struggled, there's still some optimism he can get things back on track in the event the Jets make a coaching change. Adam Gase was hired with Darnold in mind, yet Gase himself admitted the franchise "[hasn't] been able to do that."

Much like Ryan Tannehill flourished upon leaving a Gase-coached team, the same might happen for Darnold.

Ryan Tannehill being genuinely great is as big an indictment of Adam Gase as is the regression of Sam Darnold. #Titans #Jets

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) October 18, 2020

Anyone who watches the @nyjets play calling under Gase and tells me Sam Darnold is a bust/can’t play is out their minds. His play calling is the literal definition of “insanity”

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 29, 2020

Hear me out...

Sam Darnold (minus) Adam Gase (plus) Penei Sewell (plus) Pat Freiermuth (equals) a much better Sam Darnold.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) December 21, 2020

Baker Mayfield's improvement under Kevin Stefanski is an example of how the right coaching can make a significant difference for a young quarterback.

La Canfora also alluded to how the 2021 quarterback class doesn't have another prospect on par with Lawrence. Ohio State's Justin Fields, BYU's Zach Wilson and North Dakota State's Trey Lance all figure to be in the mix for a top-10 pick, but one could argue they aren't a significantly safer investment than Darnold.

It is "very likely" that the New York Jets move on from head coach Adam Gase if the team loses to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Gase has coached the Jets for two seasons. New York went 7-9 in 2019 after starting 1-7 but has fallen to 1-13 this year. The Jets lost their first 13 games in 2020 before upsetting the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday.

Gase's departure has appeared inevitable given the team's performance this season, but the timing of doing so Monday after a potential Browns loss is noteworthy because New York has one game remaining following the Cleveland contest.

New York finds itself in a peculiar situation Sunday. Gang Green is facing a 10-4 Browns team that appears headed for the playoffs, but Cleveland will be significantly short-handed at wide receiver.

Of note, receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and did not travel with the team to New Jersey. The same goes for linebacker Jacob Phillips.

An unnamed player reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, and subsequent contact tracing led to the list placements, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press. 

Cleveland called up wideouts Ja'Marcus Bradley and Derrick Willies to the practice squad to join newly signed Marvin Hall, who joined the team after the Browns claimed him off waivers on Dec. 7.

Per ESPN Stats & Information, no active Browns wideout playing Sunday has caught a pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield this season.

Still, the Browns are a 10-win team whose offense largely excels off a stellar rushing attack paced by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Per ESPN Stats & Information, they rush by design on 47.4 percent of plays (third-highest in the NFL) and amass 152.6 rushing yards per game (also third).

Plus, the Jets are short-handed on defense themselves, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweeted:

Just a reminder with all the Browns news - the Jets are playing a rookie second-string CB, a third-string safety and a third-string nickel corner. And they were not loaded to begin with.

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) December 26, 2020

Kickoff will take place at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase remains on the hot seat with the team's 1-13 record this season, but apparently he isn't concerned about his future.

"Nothing I'm really worried about," he said Wednesday, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

Gase noted he hasn't discussed his future with Jets CEO Christopher Johnson.

The Jets finished 7-9 in Gase's first season at the helm, and Johnson supported Gase and praised him after a 27-17 loss at the Buffalo Bills to start the 2020 season.

"I do continue to think he's a brilliant offensive mind especially," Johnson said. "He has my every confidence."

Things spiraled with 13 straight losses, and Gase acknowledged he has let Johnson down.

"At the end of the day, it's about winning. We haven't done that," Gase told reporters last Wednesday. "For him not to feel a playoff feel of being competitive in December—it's disappointing to me that we haven't been able to do that for him."

The Jets finally got in the win column Sunday with an upset at the Los Angeles Rams, though that only angered fans hoping to land the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

New York has gone 10 years without a playoff appearance, and there is plenty of speculation that a new coach will get an opportunity to turn things around next season. For now, Gase remains in the role and seems to feel confident about his position with the team.