Jets Need to Move on From These Head Coaching Candidates
Long before the Jets fired Adam Gase, Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer had popped up in rumors as two individuals who could be New York's next head coach.
Days into the Jets' official head coaching search, however, New York will need to move on to other candidates rather than reeling in one of these two highly sought-after coaches from the Big Ten Conference.
Michigan has reached an agreement with Harbaugh on a contract extension that runs through the 2025 while Meyer is taking steps closer to becoming the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Harbaugh has been linked to the Jets in the past, but evidently he's interested in fulfilling some unfinished business in Ann Arbor.
That doesn't mean Harbaugh won't take an NFL job in the future. Frank Gore, who played under Harbaugh on the 49ers just under a decade ago, said this week that he expects his former head coach to come back to the NFL eventually. Gore went on to endorse his former head coach to take over for Gase, saying he could make New York competitive and bring a quality staff along with him.
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Meanwhile, Meyer is expected to meet with the Jaguars on Friday to "continue discussing the team’s head coaching vacancy," according to the NFL Network. Meyer coming to an agreement with Jacksonville isn't guaranteed just yet, but it makes quite a bit of sense that he would come out of retirement for this opening.
Meyer has ties to the state after coaching at Florida for six years. He'd also have a chance to work with the presumptive top pick Trevor Lawrence, starting fresh with a plethora of draft picks and cap space.
The Jets will pick one spot behind Jacksonville next spring, and have their own surplus of draft capital and financial flexibility this offseason, but haven't been connected to Meyer since firing Gase.
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Don't fret, Jets fans. Even if these two legendary coaches won't be on the sideline at MetLife Stadium next season, New York is in talks with plenty of quality candidates.
Interviews have already been completed with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. Defensive coordinators Robert Saleh (49ers) and Matt Eberflus (Colts) have interviews scheduled while permission to chat with the likes of Bill Daboll (Bills offensive coordinator), Aaron Glenn (Saints secondary coach and former Jets cornerback) and more have been requested.
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