The hottest name on the coaching market likely out of reach for the Jets
This is a part of a weekly series where I take a look at potential coaching hires for the New York Jets for the 2025 season. The 2024 New York Jets season will go down as one of the biggest failures in sports history. From the hype to the talent to ultimately, the embarrassment. The […]
This is a part of a weekly series where I take a look at potential coaching hires for the New York Jets for the 2025 season.
The 2024 New York Jets season will go down as one of the biggest failures in sports history. From the hype to the talent to ultimately, the embarrassment. The New York Jets began to spiral early in the season, and Woody Johnson fired then head coach Robert Saleh and promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to the top spot in hopes of generating a spark for the team. That spark did not come.
So, with the Jets all but set for a rebuild and a new regime taking over, I thought I could spend the second half of the season looking at potential coaching candidates for gang green in 2025. It’s not like there will be plenty of good football to discuss on these pages.
So, with that in mind let’s get to our next candidate: Ben Johnson.
I wanted to get this article out early in this coaching search spotlight because too many Jets fans believe that Ben Johnson is the guy and the search is over. And those of you are delusional. There were even fans at the game against the Houston Texans calling for Ben Johnson to be the next head coach.
Johnson is currently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and the architect behind one of the most potent offenses in the NFL right now. The Lions have the NFL’s number one scoring offense in his three years as coordinator and the No. 2 offense in terms of yardage. He’s unlocked quarterback Jared Goff’s potential and found a perfect balance between a productive rushing and passing attack.
Like last year, he will be the most sought-after head coaching candidate in the league. Johnson could have taken a job last offseason, and possibly the season prior, but pulled himself out of the running to continue his journey in Detroit.
AtoZ Sports Lions writer Mike Payton says about Johnson, “the biggest reason any team should want Ben Johnson is because he has a very good understanding of how to utilize every player’s best skillset and then not try to get any player to do things they’re not good at. That’s why he’s scored so big with Jared Goff. He’s understood what Goff is best at and only asked him to do that stuff. Plus, he has a really good balance of running old school offense and working in creativity that changes the game.”
There is no doubt the New York Jets will be in touch with Johnson as soon as they are able to so they can convince Johnson to take the reins in New York. Here is the problem, there is no way he takes the job.
Johnson isn’t a guy looking for a promotion like so many coaches in the league are. He doesn’t want to rush to take the first head coaching job that becomes available just so that he can be a head coach. He doesn’t have that ego that so many NFL head coaches have where he believes that whatever job he takes, will mean success simply because he is there. He is a thinker and a planner and won’t jump into any job just for the paycheck and title.
The Jets have seen this type of personality before when they were ready to hand the job to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell during the last two coaching hires, but he had no interest in leaving Ames for the NFL. These are coaches that are looking for more than a title. They want stability, the right fit, a cohesive working environment. They will get none of that in East Rutherford.
From the moment the next head coach takes the job, they are already on the hot seat. Don’t pretend to deny it, Jets fans. You are what you are. It’s not a knock on your passion, it’s a knock on your patience. And the worst offender amongst you, unfortunately is Woody Johnson.
Woody can’t help but micro-manage and tinker and be involved even though he knows nothing about football and what it takes to build a successful franchise. Woody is a slave to media and social media and makes his decisions based on that. Woody is a good enough businessman, and I wouldn’t call him cheap, but he has not learned the most important lesson of all, to stay the hell out of it. It makes for a stressful and awful working environment for any coach entering the building. Why would Ben Johnson want that?
Ben Johnson has a family that is very happy in the Detroit area. Ben has a great job with a stacked roster, a coach that takes all the heat, and an organization that has a clear view of what they are and what they want to be. If he isn’t in it for the title or the money, why would he leave that for a Jets organization that goes through coaches and players like tissues? Not to mention, a top to bottom rebuild is in the not-so-distant future and, as I said before, there is no patience anywhere near 1 Jets Drive.
The Jets will certainly pursue Johnson this offseason, but with likely better jobs available and his track record for showing that he is happy to stay where he is, I would imagine that those conversations will be short.
Reuniting with Rex Ryan feels so right but it would be the wrong move for the Jets
This is a part of a weekly series where I take a look at potential coaching hires for the New York Jets for the 2025 season. The 2024 New York Jets season will go down as one of the biggest failures in sports history. From the hype to the talent to ultimately, the embarrassment. The […]
