The Adam Gase era has come to it’s inevitable conclusion after two miserable seasons.
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, who called Gase a “brilliant offensive mind” at the start of the season, made the announcement after the Jets finished 2-14.
“While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization — especially in our leadership positions — it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement. “We knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done when Adam joined us in 2019. Our strong finish last year was encouraging, but unfortunately, we did not sustain that positive momentum or see the progress we all expected this season.
“To our fans, it is obvious we have not been good enough. We are committed to building a strong organization, on and off the field, and will continue to provide the necessary resources to field a team that you can be proud of.”
Most ironically, Gase will be most remembered for winning two games too many after a 0-13 season start. Beyond the record setting losses that the Jets suffered through the Adam Gase era, the loss of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and an opportunity to get generational talent Trevor Lawrence will likely haunt the franchise for many years to come.
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How did Adam Gase last 2 seasons with the NY Jets?
Gase, who survived through the 2020 season with a franchise-record 13 game losing streak was brought into the team with the expectations of developing young starter Sam Darnold. For many, the fact that Gase survived throughout the entire 2020 season was a tremendous surprise given the historically disastrous start. The Johnson family, which has owned the franchise since 2000, never has fired a coach during the season.
With a 9-23 record over two seasons, Gase failed to build a competent offense and groom Sam Darnold into a better quarterback than he was in years previous. For the last two years under Gase, the Jets have ranked dead last in the league in total offense. Darnold, who has struggled consistently over the last two seasons, entered Week 17 as the lowest-ranked QB in the NFL.
“It pisses me off,” Gase said last week of the offensive struggles. “If there’s one side of the ball I want to make sure is right, it would be that one. It has not happened, and that’s on me.”
Once hailed around the league as an offensive mind and quarterback guru, Gase whose sole focus was the offense ranked last in the league in 24 out of 34 regular-season games since the start of his tenure. Things got so bad with the Jets this season it was reported in October that Gase relinquished play calling duties to OC Dowell Loggains. This did not last long as league sources reported Gase secretly returned to play calling.
<image credit – forbes.com>
Where the Jets coaching search goes from here
The NY Jets coaching search will be a collaborative effort between a number of team executives. CEO Christopher Johnson, General Manager Joe Douglas, and Team President Hymie Elhai are expected to be at the forefront of the search. Sources have stated that Douglas’ opinion will carry the most weight considering his 20 years as a scout and talent evaluator.
There have been several key interview requests already made by the Jets front office. Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith are at the top of the list as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
