After Rex Ryan was fired and became the new coach of the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets have a new coach. They have hired Todd Bowles as their new head coach.
The deal is expected to be official on Wednesday when Bowles signs it. Bowles’s contract will be for four years and is worth more than $16 million, according to NFL.com. He confirmed that he was accepting the Jets offer in a text message to reporters.
The Jets interviewed six other candidates for the coach position. Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, former Bills coach Doug Marrone, San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, Seahawks line coach Tom Cable, and Jets running back coach Anthony Lynn were the other candidates for the position. Bowles and Quinn were the Jets top two choices for the job.
Bowles played in the NFL for eight years. He began his coaching career with the Jets in 2000, coaching defenses. He has also coached for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles. For the last two years he was the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. This season the Cardinals defense was fifth in points allowed as the Cardinals went 11-5 and had a wild-card berth, according to ESPN. Bowles becomes the fifth black head coach in the NFL, joining Lovie Smith, Jim Caldwell, Mike Tomlin, and Marvin Lewis.
Bowles will try to turn things around with the Jets, who were 4-12 this season. It’s the fourth straight non-winning season for the Jets. The Jets have also hire Mike Maccagnan as their new general manager.Maccagnan is the Jets third GM in four years.