Todd Bowles is About to Get Fired, and the Jets Must Get One of These Offensive Minds
By Jason McIntyre
The Todd Bowles era with the Jets is mercifully coming to an end. After being given another season for no real reason, the Jets are about to be 3-7 after a humiliating loss to one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets showed absolutely no bite from the kickoff, and were quickly down 31-0. The Bills trotted out Matt Barkley at QB today; he hadn’t played in an NFL game since 2016 with the Bears.
With the Jets on a bye next week, it’s safe to assume a smart team would fire Bowles and start the process of finding his replacement. But it’s the Jets, so who knows.
Here are the 5 names that make the most sense to replace Bowles. The most important factors are these: 1) The Jets have a franchise QB in Sam Darnold, 2) You absolutely have to get an offensive mind as head coach
My first call if I’m the Jets is Dabo Swinney. I’ve said this for a year now. Knows offense. Innovative. Aggressive. And by all accounts a great human being. I don’t care that he’s a guy from the South and he’s got the Alabama job waiting for him when Nick Saban retires. I don’t think Swinney would leave Clemson, but the Jets should call him anyway.
I know a lot of people will say the Jets should call Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, but he’s already getting paid a ton by Oklahoma, he’s spent the bulk of his life in Texas/Oklahoma, and the Cowboys are going to call him. Small town Texas kid? I don’t see him leaving. Matt Campbell? He’s about to turn 39, he’s in line for a big raise after a strong season at Iowa State, and even though he’s a former defensive lineman, he’s known as a good offensive coach. He builds through the trenches and the run game, where the Jets were actually decent this season. Campbell will be in demand at the highest levels of college and he’ll get NFL calls, too.
A name you’ll be surprised to hear: Eric Bieniemy. Many probably know him as the former Colorado Buffaloes running back, but he’s been with Andy Reid for five years in Kansas City, and he’s the OC this year. Obviously Reid has a lot of input on the KC offense, but their offensive coordinator from last year, Matt Nagy, is off to a terrific start in Chicago.
Mike Norvell of Memphis is a name you aren’t going to hear connected to NFL teams. He’s a hot name in college for what he’s already done in Memphis, and he’s going to have suitors throughout college football. He’s only 37, but he knows offense, and I’d certainly go after Norvell – who won’t be as expensive as the top two names on this list – ahead of 90% of NFL offensive coordinators, many of whom have already had a shot at head coach.