Jets go back for seconds
Maccagnan only candidate for GM job to talk twice
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.— As the NFL returned to the field Saturday, the Jets continued their quest to hire a new general manager and coach.
The favorites for those jobs have emerged in recent days as Texans scouting director Mike Maccagnan and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, according to sources. Maccagnan met with the Jets on Friday and again on Saturday, according to sources, his second interview with the Jets in a week, but no job offer was made. He is the only candidate who has been asked back for a second interview.
Quinn cannot be hired until the Seahawks’ season ends. The Jets surely watched Saturday night’s playoff game between Seattle and the Panthers with interest, hoping Quinn would become available immediately. Quinn has told people in the league he is interested in the Jets job and in working with Maccagnan, according to a source. The 44yearold Quinn is expected to have his choice of jobs, though. He has interviewed with five of the six teams that have vacancies. Only the Raiders have not talked to him.
The NFL Network reported the 49ers are very interested in Quinn as well. The problem for teams interested in Quinn is how long are they willing to wait for him.
If the Seahawks return to the Super Bowl, he could not be offered the job until after the game on Feb. 1. As the coaching dominoes begin to fall, the best assistant coaches will get hired in various places and it could be difficult to put together a staff if a team doesn’t start until February.
The Jets interviewed Quinn on Jan. 2, a window allowed by the NFL for teams with a bye in the first round of the playoffs. One would expect the new GM, whether that is Maccagnan or someone else, to want to interview Quinn and possibly other coaching candidates. If the Seahawks advance to the Super Bowl, teams would be permitted to interview Quinn during the bye week before the game, if Seattle grants permission.
The other top candidate for the job is Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who impressed the Jets in his interview onWednesday, according to a source. If the Jets decide they don’t want to wait for Quinn, they could move quickly on Bowles. But they also might have competition for Bowles, who has interviewed with the Bears, Falcons and 49ers in addition to the Jets.
The Jets also were impressed with Seahawks assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable, who interviewed on Jan. 2. But it is hard to imagine the Jets actually hiring Cable, who bombed as the head coach of the Raiders and has been accused of domestic violence by multiple women. He also allegedly broke the jaw of one of his assistant coaches in Oakland.
One interesting scenario could be the Jets hiring Quinn as head coach and Cable as offensive coordinator. The NFL Network reported Cable is one of Quinn’s top choices to be his offensive coordinator.
The question of who would run the offense for Quinn or Bowles is a crucial one for the Jets. They just lived through six years of Rex Ryan struggling to figure out the offensive side of the ball. Now, they are considering two defensive coordinators to replace him. One of the first questions will be who are they going to entrust with trying to get the Jets offense rolling for the first time in many years.