New York Jets Urged To Avoid Hiring Chiefs Coordinator As Head Coach

The New York Jets coaching search is expected to be a thorough one by owner Woody Johnson, hoping to find the franchises best head coach in quite some time. It’s been an unfortunate past few years of the Jets not finding the right head coach, and as a result, they’ve been one of the worst teams in football over that span.

Having a competent head coach is as important as anything in the NFL, and if New York continues to hire the wrong ones, they shouldn’t expect much to change.

It’ll be very interesting to see which coaches want the job. The Jets have not had a formal interview with a head-coaching candidate yet.

On one hand, being able to coach a team around New York City should sell itself. This is a massive market, and while that comes with expectations and tough media coverage, New York is a beautiful city with plenty of benefits.

However, from an organizational standpoint, the Jets aren’t exactly in a great position. They don’t have their future quarterback, the offense has been one of the worst in football over the past few years, and the defense took a step back during the campaign.

Every indication points to them rebuilding, and with how coaches are fired around the NFL nowadays, some might hesitate to take the job due to thinking they might get fired if things don’t go as planned.

Johnson will have multiple options to choose from, and some will be better than others. Some, however, shouldn’t get a chance to run the team.

Connor Long of Jets X Factor named three coaches New York needs to avoid, including Steve Spagnuolo.

“After Kansas City’s Super Bowl win in February, Spagnuolo said he would “absolutely” want to be a head coach if given the opportunity. With Kansas City having another strong defensive season in 2024, he could certainly land interviews in January. If so, the Jets should stay as far away from Spags as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I think Spagnuolo is the best defensive coordinator in football, and I think very fondly of his defensive mind, but the concerns with him as a head coach are endless. His last run at the position went miserably.”

It’s a fair concern. In three-plus seasons as a head coach — three with the Rams and an interim stint with the New York Giants — he finished with a career record of 11-41. Since he left the Giants, he’s been in Kansas City and, frankly, has one of the best assistant coach jobs in the NFL.

Spagnuolo is one of those coaches who seems to be a better fit for a coordinator role. Many coordinators around the NFL are good at what they do, and being a head coach isn’t one of those things. He’s had a chance to run a team but had a brutal stint during his three seasons.

He’s a defensive-minded guy, which has its benefits, but for a Jets team that needs to improve their offense, hiring Spagnuolo might not make too much sense.