HEADLINES

Woody Johnson

Jets Reaching Out To GM, Head Coach Candidates

December 27th, 2014 at 10:25am CST by Ben Levine

10:25am: Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News disputes the report (all via Twitter), saying Casserly’s work has not been on behalf of the Jets. The writer notes that Casserly has been researching head coaching candidates as a member of the league’s “career development advisory panel,” which includes “exploring contract language” for at least one college coach.

8:11am: It seemed inevitable that change was coming in the Jets organization, and it appears like those moves will happen very soon. NJ.com’s Dom Cosentino reports that Charley Casserly, a newly-hired consultant to Jets owner Woody Johnson, has been reaching out to potential head coach and general manager candidates. Cosentino notes that both Rex Ryan and John Idzik are expected to be fired this weekend, and he adds that the current head coach has already cleaned out his office.

This matches up with the quotes from the New York Posts’ Bart Hubbuch, who claimed Ryan was addressing his job in the past tense during yesterday’s press conference.

“You do this to win it all, and there is no doubt about that,” Ryan said. “So obviously, I have come up short there that way. As far as all of the other stuff is concerned, I came in and I wanted to give a different identity to this team and I think we did accomplish that.”

As Cosentino observes, the situation is similar to 2013, when Ryan had discovered that Idzik was exploring potential head coach candidates. Ryan and the Jets ultimately finished the season with two straight wins, and the head coach kept his job. It doesn’t seem like we’re heading for any repeats this time around, considering the Jets can’t finish any better than 4-12 (the 2013 Jets finished 8-8).

Casserly was the former general manager in Washington and Houston, and he’s spent the last couple of years on the NFL Network. The team was rumored to be seeking Casserly’s guidance earlier this week.

AFC Notes: Jets, Philbin, Tannehill, Sparano

December 22nd, 2014 at 1:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets have hired NFL Network analyst and former general manager Charlie Casserly as a consultant, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). Owner Woody Johnson brought in Casserly as a football mind as an offseason approaches that could see the team potentially firing head coach Rex Ryan as well as general manager John Idzik.

Casserly has previous experience as the general manager in Washington and for the Houston Texans.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • Dolphins‘ head coach Joe Philbin got the vote of confidence from owner Stephen Ross yesterday, and will be returning to the team in 2015. At the same time, Philbin has declined to offer the same guarantee to his coaching staff, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Philbin did not say whether or not he planned on bringing back his coordinators for another season. It does appear that general manager Dennis Hickey will be back with the team though, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • At one point early this season, Ryan Tannehill‘s future with the Dolphins was uncertain. Things have changed since then, and Tannehill has solidified himself as the franchise quarterback in Miami, write James Walker of ESPN.com. The team will now likely exercise his fifth-year option, which was not a given before the season.
  • Raiders‘ interim head coach Tony Sparano would like the word “interim” removed from his title, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Many of his players agree that he has earned a chance at the job for real. Defensive end Antonio Smith, quarterback Derek Carr, and safety Charles Woodson all came out in support of their current leader. The Raiders are rumored to be interested in Jim Harbaugh for their head coaching job next season.

Coach Notes: Jets, Trestman, Coughlin

December 6th, 2014 at 11:56am CST by Ben Levine

Jets coach Rex Ryan intended to talk to the media on Friday about this team’s matchup with the Vikings. Instead, he addressed rumors that he had considered firing offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

“I would deny that, 100 percent I’ll deny that, that I’m looking to fire Marty or anybody,” Ryan said (via Brian Costello of the New York Post). “You know we challenge each other all the time. … I don’t know where it’s coming from. So to me I think it’s a complete bogus deal. So, I’m not saying it wasn’t said by somebody, but it certainly wasn’t said by me or thought by me.”

Let’s take a look at some more rumblings out of the NFL front offices, including whispers about coaches potentially on the hot seat…

  • There has been plenty of finger-pointing in New York regarding the issues surrounding the Jets, and Ryan, Mornhinweg and general manager John Idzik have faced their fair share of criticism. Bart Hubbach of the New York Post believes one member of the organization has unfairly gone unscathed: owner Woody Johnson.
  • While the Bears‘ season certainly hasn’t gone as planned, it doesn’t look like the team will endure any drastic changes. John Mullin of CSNChicago.com appeared on ProFootballTalk Live and stated his belief that head coach Marc Trestman is safe (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com), noting that firing the coach would be an admission of failure by general manager Phil Emery.
  • Meanwhile, Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times believes the Bears need to make major changes. However, based on the team’s moves in previous years, the team will be apprehensive about making any drastic moves.
  • Dan Graziano is unsure what the Giants will do with head coach Tom Coughlin, but he believes there’s a chance that the team could be grooming offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo for the role.

Jets Notes: Smith, Idzik, Ballard, Revis

October 29th, 2014 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

Geno Smith‘s former teammate and current FOX broadcaster Brady Quinn came to his defense in a chat with Chris Strauss of USA Today. While Smith has struggled mightily, Quinn pointed to the lack of consistency in his receiving corps and the media’s focus on the quarterback competition training camp as factors that have held him back. Something tells me that most Jets fans aren’t quite as sympathetic. More on Gang Green…

  • Smith says he can “without a doubt” be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but in a sit down with SNY earlier this week, Jets GM John Idzik wasn’t quite as confident, Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday writes. “I don’t know that. Don’t know that. That’s still to be determined. You don’t want to try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you’re dealing with a younger quarterback in Geno,” Idzik said of Smith, whom the organization drafted 39th overall in 2013.
  • If the Jets are in the market for a GM, they might look into Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, who will be the hottest GM candidate after the season, two sources tell Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Ballard was a candidate at Tampa Bay last offseason but bowed out because coach Lovie Smith would have had final say over him in personnel matters. Myers, meanwhile, thinks former Jets exec and current Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli would be a strong fit for Gang Green.
  • Myers also hears from a source that Jets owner Woody Johnson began his interviews with GM candidates by saying that cornerback Darrelle Revis had to go. If a candidate disagreed and made a point that it might be in the Jets’ best interest to keep their best player, even if he was coming off ACL surgery with contract issues ahead, “Woody didn’t want to hear it,” the source said. Idzik, who traded Revis to the Bucs three months into his tenure, likely agreed with Johnson during the interview.
  • Idzik may have talked his way out of town with his bizarre press conference earlier this week, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

More Harvin Notes: Cameron, Ryan, Wilson

October 19th, 2014 at 9:14am CST by Rory Parks

More and more interesting storylines continue to arise from the Percy Harvin trade, including a big name player that could have been shipped off to Seattle in return for the explosive wideout. Let’s have a look:

  • We heard several days ago that the Browns, Buccaneers, and Bengals were most interested in a Harvin deal, but the Colts and Broncos were apparently also interested, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Per Rapoport, the Jets, Browns, Bucs, Broncos, and Colts had the best offers.
  • The Seahawks are on the lookout for tight ends, and one of the names that was floated in a possible Harvin deal was Browns TE Jordan Cameron, tweets Rapoport.
  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterates, the Harvin deal could end up being a very short-term move for the Jets. Since Harvin’s base salary for 2015 is $10MM, the Jets may choose to cut or trade him in the offseason. That decision, Florio writes, will “hinge on whether [head coach Rex] Ryan remains as the coach, whether a new coach would want Harvin, and whether Harvin will accept less than $10 million next year to stay with the Jets.”
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that Harvin’s poor fit in the Seahawks‘ locker room serves as a reminder as to why “some teams shy away from investing big in players until they’ve spent time with them through the draft-and-develop process.”
  • Dave Boling of the News Tribune wonders if the Seahawks have sent a message to the rest of the team by dealing Harvin.
  • Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the deal heated up Friday morning, after the Jets‘ loss to the Patriots.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes that the Jets dealt for Harvin to help Geno Smith, not Rex Ryan.
  • Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes that the Vikings have once again been vindicated for the original deal that sent Harvin to Seattle.
  • In a pair of articles, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that although many Seahawks players like Harvin, his poor relationship with Russell Wilson threatened to divide the locker room, and La Canfora also wonders if this deal will signal Jets‘ owner Woody Johnson‘s return to his high-spending ways.

Jets Notes: Mornhinweg, Cap Room, Ryan

October 11th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets owner Woody Johnson has agreed to sell his Manhattan co-op for $80MM, according to Jennifer Gould Keil of the New York Post. That’s a record price for a NYC co-op, and that money could ultimately help out the franchise.

Either way, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes, the owner would have been forced to open his checkbook this offseason. Franchises are required to spend at least 89 percent of their cap between 2013 and 2017, so the Jets will certainly be spenders in free agency – regardless of the owner’s extra $80MM.

Let’s see what else is going on in the organization, all via Cimini’s mailbag…

  • Cimini believes that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has avoided major criticism early on because of the team’s other issues. However, he believes Mornhinweg will face further scrutiny if the offense (particularly quarterback Geno Smith) continues to struggle.
  • The Jets are looking at about $67MM in cap room next season, but Cimini warns that the abundance of money isn’t an indication that the team will spend. The team will likely use the money to add a couple of marquee free agents as well as extend their own players.
  • If Rex Ryan were to be fired after the season, Jim Harbaugh would not be a likely candidate. Instead, Cimini suggests Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who already has a relationship with general manager John Idzik.
  • Cimini can’t envision both Ryan and Idzik being fired after the season. After all, firing Idzik would be an admittance by Woody Johnson that he was wrong, and the owner has traditionally held his general managers on a relatively long leash.