Gase: I just work here
Coach says he wasn’t involved in GM firing
Jets coach Adam Gase denied he won a power struggle when the team fired general manager Mike Maccagnan last week.
“I disagree with that, as far as a power struggle, because whoever is getting hired is going to have the same role — control of the roster, control of the 53,” Gase said in a session with reporters Monday. “I will coach the football team. That’s what I’m going to do. Nothing’s changing in that structure.”
Gase said he was surprised when owner Christopher Johnson told him he was going to fire Maccagnan.
“[Johnson] told me. That’s what it was. He’s the owner. In this business, [stuff ] like that happens all the time,” Gase said. “It happened to me last year. That’s what it is. I work for him. We’re aligned as the head coach and the GM both report to the owner. That’s the way it is.”
Gase was referring to getting fired by the Dolphins after last season. He spent three years in Miami before his dismissal and went 23-26. The Jets hired him in January to replace Todd Bowles.
Johnson surprisingly fired Maccagnan last week after allowing the general manager to lead the front office through the most important part of the offseason, including allowing Maccagnan to oversee the search to hire Gase, spending more than $120 million in guaranteed money in free agency, and running the draft at the end of April.
The Jets named Gase the interim GM and are beginning to search for a permanent replacement for Maccagnan. Gase is going to “assist” in the search, which will be led by Johnson.
Some have wondered why the Jets would hand this much power to Gase, who made the playoffs in one of three seasons with the Dolphins. But Johnson felt strongly about making the switch at general manager after what he called a “deep dive” into the organization.
Reports of a rift between Gase and Maccagnan surfaced around the draft last month, but were denied. Gase publicly shot down the reports just five days before Maccagnan was fired.
Sources said Gase disagreed with Maccagnan on several things in free agency, including the price tag for running back Le’Veon Bell, to whom the Jets gave a four-year $52.5 million contract in March. Gase also wanted to sign center Matt Paradis and tight end Darren Fells, according to sources, but Maccagnan was against it. There also have been reports Gase was aggravated when linebacker Anthony Barr reneged on a verbal agreement to sign with the Jets to return to the Vikings.
But sources said the Jets did not fire Maccagnan just because of his relationship with Gase. There were also concerns about him being indecisive and wishy-washy. The Jets have gone 14-34 in the last three years, so Maccagnan’s record is hard to defend, but the timing of the firing is what drew the ire of Jets fans and resulted in criticism of the organization.
The Jets are expected to begin interviewing GM candidates shortly. Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas is considered the front-runner for the job. The Jets waived TE
Jordan Leggett on Monday. Leggett was a fifthround pick by Maccagnan in 2017. He had 14 catches for 114 yards and one touchdown in two seasons. The Jets have now gotten rid of the third-, fourthand two fifth-round picks from the 2017 draft. … The Jets signed P Matt Darr, who played for Gase in Miami in 2016. He punted in five games for the Bills last year.