Wanted: A Jets Coach that Suits Sam Darnold

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A day after the Jets fired Coach Todd Bowles following the team’s season-ending 38-3 loss to the New England Patriots, team chairman and chief executive Christopher Johnson said the franchise will move quickly in finding a replacement.

Seven other N.F.L. teams have joined the Jets with vacancies at the top coaching spot, adding to the urgency felt by an organization that has not reached the playoffs since 2010.

Speaking to reporters from the team’s practice facility on Monday, Johnson said he will work with General Manager Mike Maccagnan and Brian Heimerdinger, the team’s vice president of player personnel, without any external influence from consultants or search firms, unlike the last coaching search.

Owner Woody Johnson, currently the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, might get a phone call or two with updates, but the ultimate decision will be made by Christopher, who is Woody’s younger brother.

Perhaps the most critical figure in the selection, however, will be the rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. It is clear that the organization feels it has the foundational player to build around — coaching staff included.

“The person doesn’t have to be an offense or defense-minded head coach,” Maccagnan said. “But we definitely want to make sure they have a plan in place to try to develop our young quarterback in Sam Darnold.”

Maccagnan went as far as to say that, while the 21-year-old quarterback will not have a say in who the team decides upon, they plan to ask candidates to spend time with Darnold, which could give the team a sense of their chemistry. It sounded, well, a bit like an arranged date.

But for Maccagnan, there are two clear examples of teams that engineered fantastic turnarounds based, in large part, around finding a coach that could get the most out of a young quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears are both headed to the playoffs this year, but at one time both teams struggled with a rookie quarterback, proceeded to hire a new coach with that quarterback in mind, and saw their prospects skyrocket.

“We’ve developed what I think is a good plan,” Christopher Johnson said. “It really came together with Sam, and now we’re going to build with and around Sam.”

Asked what qualities he would look for in a new coach, Johnson began his response by mentioning that experience working with a quarterback would jump out to him.

“Somebody who has created a great quarterback would be a big plus,” he said.

Darnold, despite missing three games with a foot strain, tied for second in the league with 15 interceptions. But his final three games after returning from the injury were some of his best of the season.

“I thought in the beginning of the year, I took a while to get comfortable,” Darnold said. “Then once I got comfortable in the offense, I felt very confident when I was out there. Just going to keep growing and keep trying to make those strides and watch the tape, see how I can get better and move forward from there.”

The organizational structure will not change, with the new coach reporting directly to Johnson, rather than to Maccagnan, who has two years remaining on his contract.

“The buck stops with me,” Johnson said. “I think I let the fans down here, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we get to and win a Super Bowl.”

After a third-straight season with at least 11 losses — the first time the franchise had accomplished that since 1977 — talk of championships rings somewhat hollow. But the Jets have more than $100 million in salary-cap space this off-season and Johnson said the plan is to be aggressive in spending it.

Following Sunday’s loss, Jamal Adams, a safety, openly questioned the team’s assembled talent. Johnson said every team would love to have more talent, but the Jets struggled to find consistency under Bowles.

“We had some talent on this team already,” Johnson said. “We should have done better in the win-loss column.”

This time a year ago, Maccagnan noted, the team had many of the same question marks, but there was also a gaping hole at quarterback. With Darnold, at least that vacancy has been filled.

And according to Johnson, that should make the Jets a very attractive opening in a crowded marketplace.

“We haven’t had what we think is a franchise quarterback in a long time,” Johnson said, adding that “if you win here, you’re a freaking legend. That counts for something.”

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