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The New York Jets plan to fire head coach Todd Bowles, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
The 4-11 Jets wrap up the regular season Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Bowles’ tenure started with promise. After being hired in 2015, he led the Jets to a 10-6 record, though they missed the postseason. Things went downhill quickly from there, however, as the team went 10-22 between 2016 and 2017 before this year’s lackluster campaign.
Overall, Bowles went 24-39, pending the outcome of the Jets’ Week 17 matchup, during his tenure in New York.
Things came to a head this season after a Week 10 blowout loss against the Buffalo Bills, who were starting third-string quarterback Matt Barkley. While reports emerged that the Jets wouldn’t address Bowles’ future until the offseason after that stunning defeat, there was enough talk of the coach eventually being fired that it felt like an inevitability.
The one thing that saved Bowles during the season was that the team hadn’t turned on him, as Connor Hughes of The Athletic noted in November:
“The Jets, to a man, genuinely like Bowles. What you heard from so many players in the locker room after the loss to the Bills—all of whom came to their coach’s defense—was the truth. While that doesn’t erase the fact Bowles’ message is undeniably falling on deaf ears—it’s the only way to describe why the team feels it’s OK to get ‘get whooped’ and ‘laid down to it,’ as Morris Claiborne said—they haven’t turned on each other, or turned on him.”
That could bode well for Bowles’ chances of getting another coaching gig in the future. The 55-year-old brings experience to the table, having served as the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2011, the interim defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 and the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals between 2013-14 before being hired as the head honcho in New York.
At the very least, Bowles should be an interesting candidate for teams seeking a defensive coordinator.
As for the Jets, they’ll be one of the more appealing job openings in the NFL. They have a potential franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, young defensive playmakers in Jamal Adams and Leonard Williams and the cap space to make a splash for a player such as running back Le’Veon Bell.
There’s a lot of potential in New York, even if Bowles was unable to maximize it.
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