Another season of failing to live up to expectations will likely end Todd Bowles’ stint as head coach of the New York Jets.
The team is planning to fire the fourth-year coach after Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy and former Lions coach Jim Caldwell figure to be among the candidates the Jets interview, Rapoport added.
Following a stunning performance in the season opener against the Lions that seemed to suggest that Sam Darnold and the Jets were poised to make a run at a potential playoff berth this season, blunder-filled losses to the Browns, Jaguars and Bills annihilated any real chance of New York (4-11) evolving into a postseason contender.
While Darnold has shown some progress under Bowles in his rookie season, it apparently won’t be enough to help the coach keep his job. Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan is believed to be safe, Rapoport reported.
Sunday’s expected firing will bring an end to what was once a promising tenure. In Bowles’ first season, the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Jets came painfully close to a postseason berth, narrowly missing the playoffs by losing to Buffalo in Week 17 and finishing on the wrong end of a tie with Pittsburgh for the final Wild Card spot. Expectations were high, but came crashing down the following season when most of the Jets returned to the ground. A teardown ensued, completed by the consecutive selections of safety Jamal Adams and quarterback Sam Darnold in the last two drafts.
That required a lot of losing — and Bowles was at the helm for all of it, posting a 24-39 record with the Jets before Sunday’s season finale.
His tenure will be remembered largely as one of frustration, as Bowles led a Jets team that disappointed more often than not. But his time in New York might also be remembered fondly for the fun season that was 2015, and the beginning of the Darnold Era — if that proves to be successful.