Jets hire Todd Downing as their passing game coordinator
Jets coach Robert Saleh said he wanted to hire a senior offensive assistant this offseason.
Gang Green filled that role a day after the Super Bowl.
According to a source, the Jets have hired Todd Downing as their passing game coordinator on Monday. NFL Network was the first to report the Jets hire of Downing.
The Jets passing game coordinator role has been a vacant position since 2021. Saleh hired Greg Knapp to be the Jets passing game coordinator that year. However, on July 17, 2021, Knapp died following injuries in a biking accident in California.
Downing will work with Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was hired last month. They each will look to improve a Jets offense that finished at the bottom of several statistical categories, including 25th in offense (318.2 yards per game) and 29th in points scored (17.4 per game).
Downing brings a ton of experience to the Jets coaching staff as he has been an assistant coach in the NFL since 2005. From 2010-13, Downing was the Lions quarterbacks coach as he worked with a young Matthew Stafford.
Following a year as the Bills quarterback coach in 2014, Downing became the Raiders quarterbacks coach (2015-16) and later their offensive coordinator (2017). He received a lot of credit for helping Derek Carr become a Pro Bowl quarterback and an MVP candidate as the Raiders reached the playoffs in 2016.
Most recently, Downing was Titans tight ends coach (2019-20) and offensive coordinator (2021-22) as he worked to revive Ryan Tannehill’s career after he was traded from the Dolphins. During his two seasons guiding the Titans offense, they finished 17th and 30th in the league. Tennessee also ended each year 24th and 30th in passing, as the team averaged 17.5 points per game under Down