Adam Gase is on the outs in the Big Apple, and I think it’s safe to say we all saw this one coming, including Mr. Gase.
The New York Jets are expected to fire their head coach, Gase, at the conclusion of the team’s season following their divisional matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday, sources told the NFL Network.
Sources say to expect a lengthy search for Gase’s replacement, with many names already being floated among the list of candidates. Some of the juicier options include current NFL coaches such as Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberfuls, and Ravens defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale as well as college head honchos such as Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Florida’s Dan Mullen.
After an 0-13 start led to much speculation that the Jets would actually become just the second team in NFL history to go 0-16, they’ve pulled off back-to-back shocking upset wins over the likely playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns to bring their record to 2-13 and guarantee that the Jacksonville Jaguars receive the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, also known as the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.
After a couple of good seasons as Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos, Gase went to Chicago for a cup of coffee and a year later he was an NFL head coach. Since earning that title, Gase has coached two different franchises to a combined 32-48 record with one playoff appearance (his Dolphins lost 30-12 to the Pittsburgh Steelers).
The future for Gase is unclear at the moment, but you can bet that there is a struggling NFL team out there that will allow this unproven, supposed offensive ‘guru’ to take the reins of their franchise for next season. Just hope it’s not the one you cheer for.
In the meantime, Gase will coach his final game on the New York Jets sidelines knowing what’s fate awaits him on the other side—so you can expect the 42-year-old to throw the kitchen sink at Bill Belichick. The Jets are sitting at +135 odds underdogs on 888sport as of this writing, and with how the last two weeks have gone, putting a wager down on the Jets to win in Gase’s swan song could be sneaky smart.
While Gase will be gone by this time next week, the Jets have no plans to part ways with general manager Joe Douglas. It is believed that Douglas and whoever the Jets decide to hire as their top coach will both have strong voices with regards to the decision on whether or not they will look to draft a successor for former top three pick Sam Darnold at quarterback or allow the 23-year-old another season to prove his mettle as a starting QB in the NFL.
Bienemy seems like the obvious choice to succeed as the Jets head coach, but are the Jets smart enough to hire him? Or will they even be able to get him? Doubtless there will be a few teams calling the longtime Chiefs coordinator, but the allure of the City That Never Sleeps cannot be discounted.
If a guy who coached the Dolphins to a 23-25 record in three years can get hired as New York’s head coach, surely someone with Bienemy’s resume should breeze through the hiring process, right?
