NFL Rumors: Jets Reportedly Expected To Fire Adam Gase After Sunday’s Game Against Patriots
According to a new report, the New York Jets might soon be firing head coach Adam Gase, following a season that saw them lose their first 13 games.
On Saturday night, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero wrote on the NFL’s official website that according to sources familiar with the situation, the Jets are “expected to part ways” with Gase after Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. The journalists noted that New York might undergo a “lengthy and thorough search,” with a wide range of candidates likely to be in the running for Gase’s job.
As noted, some of the individuals who might be considered for the potential opening include offensive coordinators Eric Bieniemy (Kansas City Chiefs) and Arthur Smith (Tennessee Titans), defensive coordinators Matt Ebeflus (Indianapolis Colts), Don “Wink” Martindale (Baltimore Ravens), and Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Rams), and college coaches Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Dan Mullen (Florida), and Matt Campbell (Iowa State).
Prior to the new report, NJ.com likewise predicted that the Jets are “obviously going to fire” their embattled coach. The outlet’s writers mainly brought up several candidates that weren’t mentioned in the aforementioned list, though one of them, Darryl Slater, speculated that Bieniemy could get the job due to his experience working with Andy Reid in Kansas City and how he is “heavily involved” in advance planning and game-day decisions. He cautioned, however, that the erstwhile offensive coordinator might opt for another coaching vacancy and reject the Jets for a better offer.
In two seasons coaching the Jets, Gase has compiled a win-loss record of 9-22 and had guided the club to two consecutive wins in as many weeks. Rapoport and Pelissero pointed out that the organization possibly would have parted ways with Gase had the Jets lost their Week 16 game against the Rams. Due to their recent winning streak, New York will be picking second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars getting the No. 1 choice.
Although Gase’s potential replacement will ideally have a say on the Jets’ plan for the No. 2 pick, recent rumors have suggested that they may hold on to the selection and use it to pick a new quarterback to replace Sam Darnold, who has mostly failed to live up to expectations as the third overall choice in the 2018 draft. So far, there have been two college signal-callers — BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields — who have been mentioned as options for the Jets. The Jaguars, meanwhile, are expected to use their No. 1 selection on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
