Five potential candidates for Jets’ head-coaching job in 2025

The New York Jets are in the market for a full-time head coach.

On Tuesday, New York fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start, the first time owner Woody Johnson has made an in-season coaching change in 25 years of ownership.

That gives the Jets a head-start gathering intel for their 2025 coaching candidates. Here are five early ones who might be on New York’s radar.

Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich

Ulbrich was named interim coach on Tuesday, and he’ll have an extended audition for the rest of the season to state his case as the best candidate for the full-time job.

Ulbrich has been New York’s defensive coordinator since 2021, leading a top-three pass defense the past three years.

However, the Jets’ defense wasn’t enough to save Saleh, who has an extensive background in defensive coaching, from being fired. Unless Ulbrich leads New York on a deep playoff run, he might be nothing more than a seat-warmer.

Former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

Vrabel had plenty of success in Tennessee, leading the Titans to the No. 1 seed in the AFC in the 2021 postseason and three playoff appearances overall.

He’s widely considered — along with former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll — one of the best coaches on the market. However, unlike Belichick and Carroll, Vrabel doesn’t have a complicated history with the Jets.

Caroll, 73, was fired by the Jets in 1995 after one season as head coach. Belichick, 72, infamously spurned the organization in January 2000, resigning as head coach to take the same position with the Patriots. In the ESPN documentary “The Two Bills,” the six-time Super Bowl winner shared that “issues” he had with Johnson influenced his decision.

Vrabel had a winning record in his first four years with the Titans and finished his six seasons with the organization 54-45. 

Since Hall of Famer Bill Parcells resigned following the 1999 season, New York has chiefly hired coaches with no previous full-time head-coaching experience (Adam Gase being the lone exception). 

Based on the Jets’ championship-or-bust roster, it might be too big of a risk for the front office to trust an unknown. 

If New York bucks its hiring trend, Vrabel needs to be at the top of the list.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores

Arguably, no coordinator has done more to improve his stock this season than Flores, the architect behind Minnesota’s outstanding defense.

The Vikings rank fourth in scoring defense, allowing 15.2 points per game, and recently gave Rodgers nightmares.

Flores’ defense held the Jets to 254 yards, including a season-low 36 rushing, in Week 5’s 23-17 Vikings win. Rodgers threw three interceptions for only the sixth time in his pro career.

Flores previously coached the Dolphins for three seasons. He overperformed expectations early in his tenure season (allegedly to the chagrin of owner Stephen Ross), but failed to succeed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has performed much better (when healthy) under current Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

Flores wouldn’t solve New York’s offensive woes, but he’s arguably the Jets’ top option to ensure their defense remains among the league’s best.

Washington head coach Jedd Fisch

We’re throwing a curveball with our fourth option, but hear us out.

Johnson, an Arizona alumni, should be familiar with Fisch, who coached the Wildcats from 2021-23. 

He went 21-26 in his three seasons with the program, taking over for a team that went 0-5 the season before his arrival and leading it to its second 10-win season since 1999 in his third year. Washington hired him in January 2024, following Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama.

Fisch has plenty of NFL coaching experience, including stints as an offensive assistant for the Ravens (2004-07) and Rams (2018-19) and as Patriots quarterbacks coach (2020).

His offensive background could be appealing to New York after three-plus seasons (56 games) with former defensive coordinator Saleh in charge.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson

Could this be the year Johnson finally spreads his wings and leaves his nest in Detroit?

Johnson is another offensive option and has been a top contender for several openings the past two seasons, but declined to pursue them. He has instead focused on leading the Lions to a Super Bowl title.

Detroit finished in the top five in total offense and scoring offense in Johnson’s first two seasons as offensive coordinator and is third in yards (1,588) and seventh in points (104) in 2024.