Adam Gase is staying in the AFC East, as the Jets will hire him as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the team officially announced on Friday.
The Jets tweeted out a picture of Gase, welcoming him to New York.
Welcome head coach Adam Gase!
- New York Jets (@nyjets) January 11, 2019
📰 https://t.co/UfDaRbSNxT pic.twitter.com/ANBf6Ft7Av
"This was a thorough process and we had the opportunity to speak with some outstanding people," GM Mike Maccagnan said in an official statement. "Adam is an experienced teacher who has a great passion for the game. His work with quarterbacks has been well-documentetd, but he is a good communicator who will build an excellent staff. He can't wait to get started and I'm eager to work with him as well."
After learning Baylor head coach Matt Rhule took himself out of the running, news broke minutes later that the former Dolphins head coach will replace Todd Bowles next season. Former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who is a more accomplished head coach than Gase, was also in the running and only had his eyes set on the Jets' job.
However, the Jets are deciding to go with Gase, who was a hot item back in 2016 as an offensive whiz. He decided to go to Miami, and it was the right move as he led the Dolphins to the playoffs with a 10-6 record in his rookie season as a head coach. But he didn't have the same success, going 6-10 in 2017 and 7-9 this past season for an overall 23-25 career record.
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Before becoming a head coach, Gase was an offensive coordinator for the Bears in 2015 and Broncos from 2013-14. He is also known to have experience developing quarterbacks during his time in the NFL.
In Miami, Gase had Ryan Tannehill to work with, but injuries didn't help him on that front. Gase was forced to work with the likes of Matt Moore and Jay Cutler as Tannehill remained sidelined.
With the Jets, Gase now has the opportunity to work with Sam Darnold, who the organization is confident was the best pick as their quarterback of the future. One of Gase's top priorities will be tapping into Darnold's expertise, and hopefully, use his own offensive mind to make Darnold and the Jets a lethal team when they have the ball.
According to Darlington, Darnold actually spoke with Gase on FaceTime Monday night, and came away thinking Gase was the right man to take over. And Darlington furthered his reporting, saying Jets CEO Christopher Johnson took a call from Peyton Manning, who Gase worked with in Denver during his tenure.
As for his staff, Vacchiano confirmed that Dowell Loggains -- Gase's offensive coordinator in Miami -- will likely follow him to New York. Gase, though, will be calling his own offensive plays during games.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is also reporting that former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph could join Gase as his defensive coordinator. Joseph is being considered for the Bengals' head coach vacancy, but if he doesn't get the job, New York seems a likely landing spot. Joseph was under Gase in Miami with the same title back in 2016.
The Jets are hoping Gase can get them back into the playoffs, where they haven't been since 2010. In his only playoff game in 2016, Gase lost to the Steelers 30-12 on the road.
The Jets may have took longer than the other teams looking for a head coach this offseason, but they finally landed their guy. Now, Gase will assemble his staff for next season, and work alongside the front office to gear up for what is expected to be a busy free agency.