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Jets Land Former NFL Coach to be Their New Offensive Coordinator

Glenn and Reich were once teammates.
Glenn and Reich were once teammates. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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The Jets have themselves a new offensive coordinator.

New York is hiring former Panthers and Colts head coach Frank Reich as their next offensive coordinator under Aaron Glenn, multiple outlets confirmed Wednesday morning.

Reich served as the interim head coach at Stanford last season, but the Jets' hire marks his return to the pros.

"Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure," Glenn wrote in a statement, per the Jets. "He's lived this game from every angle—as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who's led offenses at the highest level. He is unique in his ability to see the game for what it is right now and adapt when appropriate. Frank understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players. I am looking forward to how he will help this team have success."

The Jets will need all the help they can get after a truly abysmal 2025 with struggles on both sides of the ball. The team posted an average of just 263.6 yards of offense and 17.6 points per game, stats that both ranked the fourth-worst in the league. The team fired OC Tanner Engstrand on Jan. 27.

In his time with Stanford, Reich, 64, led the Cardinals (4–8) to their most wins since 2020. When he was with Indy (2018-22), the Colts put together a 40-33-1 record and made the playoffs in 2018 and 2020. He also served as the OC with the Eagles from 2016-17, when the team captured the Super Bowl LII title with backup Nick Foles under center.

Reich was the head coach of the Panthers, as well, for part of the 2023 season, though he was fired midway through after a 1-10 start.

The New York native is also a former NFL player himself, having been drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round in 1985. He served primarily as a backup QB throughout his career, and notably started seven games for the Jets in the 1996 season, when he also happened to be a teammate of Glenn's.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.