Author: John Earley

MADISON- Despite the dumpster fire the Jets have been over the past decade, they’ve enacted a strong plan for the future. The tank was on in 2020, and it’ll prove valuable down the road.

The first order of business: fire Adam Gase. The head coach has proven nothing but incompetent in his first two seasons after being fired by Miami for a similar output in three seasons. His attachment to Peyton Manning’s record-breaking 2013 season with the Broncos has carried him this far, but it appears he’s finally been exposed. Just Thursday, Gase admitted to falling short of his main purpose as a head coach, which was to develop 2018 No. 3 overall pick, Sam Darnold, into the team’s franchise quarterback. With Gase soon out of the picture, it’ll be an addition by subtraction moving forward. The Jets have a number of appealing options to replace him, and Eric Bieniemy and Joe Brady should be at the top of the list. Bieniemy has served as the offensive coordinator for NFL’s most potent offense in the Chiefs, while Joe Brady looks like one of the smartest offensive minds in football following a dominant 2019 season as LSU’s offensive coordinator. Brady has also elevated the Carolina Panthers’ offense this year in the same role.

Bieniemy and Brady should be the Jets’ top targets because they need a strong offensive mind to pair with their new quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. Assuming the team finishes last and secures the No. 1 overall pick, the Jets will hit the reset button and move off Darnold in favor of the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. Lawrence offers a ceiling as high as anyone’s with his 6’6 frame, athleticism, and accuracy, and he should progress into one of the game’s best in no time.

New York set the groundwork to help out a new quarterback with its first two picks in last year’s draft, selecting left tackle Mekhi Becton and wideout Denzel Mims. Becton has already impressed as the Jets’ blind-side blocker in year one, and Denzel Mims offers elite athleticism and play-making ability on the outside.

The Jets also own a plethora of draft picks, holding 18 for 2021 and 2022, including nine in the first three rounds. The team scored a tremendous return in trading All-Pro safety Jamal Adams before the season, adding the Seahawks’ first-round picks in 2021 and 2022. That level of draft capital will help expedite the rebuild. It gives the Jets options should they choose to sit on those picks or package them for a difference-maker right away.

The Jets are also swimming in money. Currently, New York has over $30 million in cap space, allowing them to make quick fixes by adding veteran talent, which could provide an immediate lift without the need to develop raw talent.

Overall, the Jets have executed a textbook rebuild thus far. By parting with veteran talent, when they weren’t winning anyway, in exchange for high picks and committing to the full-blown tank, the Jets have found a great opportunity to rebuild itself into the proud franchise it once was. The team’s recent draft success offers hope, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. It’s up to GM Joe Douglas to first find the right coach then supply him with the talent to build a winner