The NY Jets appear to be leaving no stone unturned in their head coach search, interviewing seemingly every candidate with a pulse. Their exhaustive approach has raised eyebrows, but it’s clear they’re determined to explore all options.
Not every candidate is as interested in interviewing with the organization, however. Of the Jets’ 18 known head coach candidates, only one has reportedly rejected the offer: San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese.
Brian Costello of the New York Post reported on Friday that Griese has declined the Jets’ offer to interview for the team’s vacant head coach position. This comes as a bit of a surprise, given that Griese isn’t exactly a hot head coaching candidate around the NFL.
The Jets were the only team to put in a request to speak to Griese this offseason — something that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that he has just three years of coaching experience at any level.
One would think that Griese would take the opportunity to further cement his name in the coaching landscape as a potential head coach of the future. But with no realistic path to earning the job, Griese clearly wasn’t interested in wasting his time.
Brian Griese declined to interview with the NY Jets
A former Michigan quarterback, Griese would go on to play for over a decade in the NFL, with notable stints in Denver and Tampa Bay. He retired following the 2008 season and quickly joined ESPN as an analyst and color commentator.
Griese joined the Monday Night Football booth in 2020 and would serve as a color commentator alongside Louis Riddick and Steve Levy before leaving to become the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach in 2022.
The Miami native has received praise for his work with Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense in recent years, but given his lack of experience, it definitely feels a bit early for him to be receiving head coach buzz. The Jets likely feel that way as well.
Griese was not considered a serious candidate for the Jets’ head coach job, much like the vast majority of candidates they’ve interviewed. There was, however, no harm in bringing him in for a meeting to pick his brain and gather additional information. Griese seemed to disagree.
While the Jets have not been formally rejected by any other known candidates, reports have suggested that the likes of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had no interest in interviewing for the job.
The same could be true for Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, two of the hottest head coach candidates this cycle, who have each been mysteriously left off the Jets’ extensive shortlist of interviewees. It isn’t hard to read the tea leaves.
The Jets’ position is not seen as a particularly appealing job around the league, with prospective candidates expressing concerns about the uncertain quarterback position, a tricky financial situation, and an overbearing and impulsive owner in Woody Johnson.
Perhaps Griese was aware of those shortcomings and decided he wasn’t interested in the job. Or maybe he realized he likely wasn’t a serious candidate. Either way, he won’t be interviewing with the Jets.
