The New York Jets are “throwing their support behind” Jeff Ulbrich as interim head coach in the wake of Robert Saleh’s in-season dismissal. Some wondered initially if the Jets might use this sudden change of direction to make a more drastic pivot, such as to an accomplished former head coach like Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel. Is it possible they could still go that route later in the 2024 season?
On the surface, it’s a fair question for a few reasons. No. 1: It’s very rare but not unprecedented for an NFL team to make a full-time head coaching hire — not an interim promotion — during the season.
The Indianapolis Colts came close in 2022 with their stunning external hire of Jeff Saturday, who was technically an interim but publicly lauded as a long-term candidate by team owner Jim Irsay, despite no prior NFL coaching experience. The Buffalo Bills actually did it in 1986, when seven games into the season they replaced Hank Bullough with Marv Levy, who had been out of an NFL job for two years but proceeded to remain the Bills’ coach through 1997 — another 11 seasons. The San Diego Chargers also did it in 1978, hiring the recently fired Don Coryell to replace Tommy Prothro four games into the season, and retaining Coryell as head coach until 1986 — another eight seasons.
Belichick and Vrabel would be similarly qualified for an in-season arrival and prolonged stay, provided they went through a full NFL-approved interview process. The former has the third-most wins of any coach in NFL history (302), and the most playoff victories of all time (31). Vrabel, still just 49 years old, led three straight playoff runs for the Tennessee Titans, helping remake that organization. Both are also proven defensive minds, which would seem to appeal to the present-day Jets, who under both Saleh and now Ulbrich have focused on maximizing that side of the ball.
And here’s the other reason New York might not be averse to such a dramatic move in 2024: Ulbrich’s takeover is occurring in Week 6. The Jets are 2-3. Their bye week falls in Week 12, when it’s conceivable this team — in all its tabloid-worthy mess — could be hovering around 5-6 or 6-5. It’s possible New York could be well within reach of the wild-card race by that point, while also knowing whether or not Ulbrich is the best man to lead a prospective playoff run. Think about it: If the Jets are so bent on maximizing their fanciful title aspirations with 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers that they would fire his coach five games into their first real season together, why wouldn’t they reconsider a Belichick, Vrabel or alternative last-gasp savior for the ultimate home stretch?
In truth, crazier things have happened in the NFL. And maybe Rodgers really would have that much appeal to, say, Belichick, who learned quickly in his last years with the New England Patriots that star quarterback power shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s also not wild to envision Belichick wanting to stick it to his old team by hopping off the couch and walking right into a playoff race in the AFC East, if that scenario presented itself.
Even then, however, you’re dealing with plenty of logistical hurdles: Belichick would certainly desire control over his staff for a permanent gig, and unless he’s truly eyeing a mere one- to two-year commitment for his next job, he might not have guarantees of Rodgers’ post-2024 future, either.
So, could the Jets still turn to an even bigger name to replace Saleh, whether in the coming weeks or months? Sure. Would a bigger name come aboard, knowing they’d either have to accept an extraordinarily abbreviated interim gig or start rebuilding the program during a season, with an aging, banged-up quarterback and the pressure of the starved New York market, when they could simply wait a few more months and potentially have their pick of several open jobs around the NFL? Unlikely.
The Jets have shown us this week that essentially nothing is off limits on their end. It’s just a matter of whether someone would truly be willing to partner with them in their mad-scientist moment, risking an improbable shot at redemption and glory for the possibility of going down with the Gang Green ship.
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