The NY Jets are still looking for a new head coach and names like Dan Quinn, Tom Cable and Todd Bowles have emerged as candidates and New York may have to wait until the Seattle Seahawks lose in the playoffs to make a hire, as reports have Quinn, the defensive coordinator as the favorite to land the job for Woody Johnson to replace Rex Ryan.
Quinn is one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market and he has long been considered the favorite to land the Jets job if he wants it. According to ESPN New York, Quinn has ties to New Jersey and after interviewing with the team, owner Woody Johnson came away impressed with his qualifications and football intelligence. Rich Cimini writes that the Jets would be willing to wait until the Super Bowl to hire Quinn, as the Seahawks may not lose until then and teams are not allowed to make formal offers to coordinators until their teams are eliminated.
ESPN New York also reports that the Jets are looking at Houston Texans' director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan as an option at general manager. The Jets have met with Maccagnan for a second time and it was a fast turnaround, just four days after his initial interview with the team. Talks with Maccagnan were called "positive" by a source and he is considered to be a Charley Casserly protege. The team brought in Casserly to consult through the hiring process and the team has already met with seven general manager candidates.
According to ESPN.com, the Jets have hired six of the seven head coaching candidates on their list and while they would like to bring in a GM before hiring a coach, Johnson said that was not set in stone. The Jets search for a GM could be helped along if they plan on hiring Quinn, as they likely will have to wait a little while to bring him in, allowing them to hire a general manager first. Quinn has been linked to a number of teams and it's a near certainty that he will be getting a head coaching job heading into the 2015 season. The Jets job is open along with the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons.
The Jets fired Rex Ryan after six years at head coach and two AFC championship appearances, but the last three seasons have been disappointing. Quinn previously was a Jets assistant and Doug Marrone has also emerged as a candidate, but right now it looks like Quinn is the favorite. Quinn is from New Jersey and if the Jets appear to be waiting until the Seahawks lose, it could signal a bit of a handshake deal between the sides.
