After a disappointing 4-11 season, that is expected to be 4-12 come Sunday afternoon, the Jets will officially part with Bowles who has managed to lose 40 games in four season with the Jets. New York never made the playoffs in Bowles' tenure, and lost at least 11 games in each of his final three seasons at the helm.
While Bowles's teams have been bereft of talent the last two seasons, his teams have been one of the least discipline and poorly coached units in the sport.
In 2015, Bowles had the Jets at 10-5 heading into the season finale at Buffalo. All the Jets needed to do was win in Buffalo and they would be playoff bound. Instead the Jets lost 22-17 in a game that became a microcosm of Bowles' stay with the Jets.
Two years ago, he allowed a Week 3 sideline dispute between divas Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall and Sheldon Richardson to fester and develop into a fractured locker room, which sent the 2016 season into a complete tailspin that ended at 5-11.
In 2017, many though the Jets overachieved winning five games, leading to CEO Christopher Johnson to award both Bowles and General Manager Mike Maccagnan two year contract extensions. That was a huge mistake.
While the Jets did draft a franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold this season, the club again underachieved, winning only four games. Safety Jamal Adams, who was named team MVP, lambasted team morale and focus all season long, which was a direct slap at Bowles, even if Adams didn't mean it to be.
A six-game losing streak in the middle of the season was punctuated by a 41-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. Everyone expected Bowles would be fired after the defeat, but ownership gave him a vote of confidence to finish the season. But let's not mince words here, Bowles days were numbered when the Jets gave no effort in the Buffalo game.
So this is the end for Bowles. Jets fans won't have to look at his taciturn expression anymore.
When asked about his record on Friday, Bowles told reporters that his record "speaks for itself." It certainly does.
Now the Jets have to find the right guy. With Darnold the centerpiece of the franchise, they must find the right guy to be the next head coach of this team.
You can cross John Harbaugh off the wish list after the Ravens said they would bring him back for the 2019 season. Those hoping Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley would be an option can forget that too. Riley said he has no interest in the NFL at this point, and who can blame him?
There were rumors the Jets would be all in for Jim Harbaugh, the current coach at Michigan, but Harbaugh has stated he's staying in Ann Arbor. Jets CEO Chris Johnson clearly stated the Jets have no interest in pursuing Harbaugh. Did the two sides speak already? Chances are they did, but it won't happen, especially now.
That means the best and most viable candidate out there is former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy won 125 games and Super Bowl in Green Bay, but was fired five weeks ago after the Packers stumbled to a 4-7-1 start to the season. His services are going to be in high demand, with teams like the Buccaneers and Cardinals already intimated as possible landing spots for McCarthy.
If the Jets want McCarthy that badly, they better move quick. This has an Andy Reid feel to it. When Reid was fired by the Eagles on December 31, 2012, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs four days later on January 4, 2013. If McCarthy wants to coach he will get a job very quickly.Another, but less popular option would be Jim Caldwell. Caldwell was the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions in prior seasons. He has always been considered a mediocre head coach; his decision to bench Peyton Manning in order to prevent an undefeated season in 2009 was one of the most bone-headed moves of all time.
If the Jets are looking for experience, former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians is also out there, but he has stated he would only un-retire if the browns came calling. Plus Arians is a close friend of Bowles. It's highly unlikely he would want to coach the team that fired his friend.
Looking at the pool of assistants that will be available, names like Matt LaFluer, the current Offensive Coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, John DiFilippo the former OC of the Minnesota Vikings, and Eric Bienemy, the OC of the Chiefs are also possibilities.
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