The Jets have been in their search for a new head coach for almost two weeks. When someone finds one, it’s someone’s guess.
On Thursday, the Jets completed a second interview with the offensive coordinator of Titans, Arthur Smith. He is the second candidate they have personally interviewed in New Jersey. They interviewed 49ers defense coordinator Robert Saleh on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Both Saleh and Smith left and left after interviews with other teams. They both attracted the attention of almost every one of the teams looking for a coach. The Jets are getting to the point where they have to decide if they want to be the team that first wants to strike or wait for one of these popular candidates.
“About when we’ll get a new coach, it’s a wide and deep search,” Jets CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson said on Jan. 4 at the start of this search. “We’re going to take our time, it’s a process and we want to get it right. Obviously we are not the only team looking for a new coach, but time is always important, but we are going to do it right. ”
This is the troublesome place the Jets and the other teams find themselves. A coaching search is always a balance between acting quickly to beat other teams against a candidate, but also to search thoroughly. It has been complicated this year by the COVID-19 restrictions. The Jets interviewed nine candidates, but virtually all of the interviews were done. Teams are not going to pick a coach, and vice versa, without meeting in person. Candidates of teams in the post-season cannot conduct personal interviews until their teams are out of the play-offs.
That allowed the Jets to allow Saleh (whose 49ers missed the playoffs) and Smith (whose Titans were eliminated Sunday) for second interviews this week. They did not feel strong enough to try to lock up one of them during their visits, but will they bounce if one of them is appointed by another team? Will they have the patience to wait for a personal interview if Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy or Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator for Bills, makes it to the Super Bowl? That would mean you have to wait until February 8 to meet with them. They could once again conduct a virtual interview with them during the week before the Super Bowl, but they would certainly not hire someone they did not meet in person.
The danger of waiting as long as any coach appointed in February could struggle to put his staff together. Most coaching points will be filled by that time, and it can be difficult to attract assistant coaches.
The first hire for coaching was made Thursday, as the Jaguars and Urban Meyer agreed on a deal. But Meyer never appears to be a true candidate, except Jacksonville. The dominoes will really start to fall if one of the other six openings is filled.
Saleh and Smith are currently the two hottest names. Saleh interviewed every team that has an opening except the Texans. He left the Jets on Wednesday and went to Florida to interview the Eagles. The NFL Network reported that he also has a second interview with the Chargers.
Smith interviewed every team except the Texans, who expressed interest in talking to him. He had a second interview with the Hawks before coming to New Jersey on Wednesday. After finishing with the Jets on Thursday, Smith would fly to Florida to meet the Eagles for the first time. He will also conduct a second interview with the Lions on Friday.
If one of the two is picked by another team, it will be interesting to see if the Jets move to the other side. It’s supposed to be both high on their list, which one can assume since they were both in front of anyone else for interviews this week.
Or the Jets can wait to see who loses this weekend, to see who they can bring in for an interview next week. Daboll, Bieniemy, Rams defense coordinator Brandon Staley, and Saints’ secondary coach Aaron Glenn (a former Jets player) all practically played with the Jets and had playoff games over the weekend.