The New York Jets are getting closer to finding its next head coach.
ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano predicted on Tuesday, January 14 that the green and white will end up hiring Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“Smith was a candidate of interest to Jets owner Woody Johnson back in 2021, when the team hired [Robert] Saleh,” Graziano revealed. “In the past, Johnson has been known to lock in a bit on his personal favorites. Remember, he lost out to the Dolphins on Adam Gase in 2016, then hired Gase three years later after the Dolphins fired him.”
Arthur Smith Would be an Incredibly Unpopular Hire Among Fan-Base
“For most of this season, [Smith] found a way to make some pretty effective chicken salad out of a not-great QB situation in Pittsburgh,” Graziano added.
Smith, 42, is an experienced coach on both sides of the ball. He first got into coaching in 2006 at the college level. For the first five years of his coaching career, he bounced between college and the pros. In 2011 he joined the Tennessee Titans and he never went back to the college ranks.
Smith has served as a defensive quality control coach and as a defensive intern. The rest of his resume he has spent on the offensive side of the ball coaching the O-Line and tight ends. Smith has served two stints as an offensive coordinator: with the Titans 2019-20 and currently with the Steelers.
Sandwiched in between was Smith’s first whack at the NFL head coaching pinata. During his three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, he finished with a 21-30 record. He went 7-10 in each of those seasons.
Inconsistency was the plague of his tenure with the Falcons.
“Atlanta never won more than two games in a row under Smith, and both of his last two seasons had at least a three-game losing streak,” ESPN’s Michael Rothstein said.
He also struggled to find answers at the quarterback position. Four different quarterbacks suited up during Smith’s time with Atlanta: Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke, and Desmond Ridder.
The Falcons’ brass didn’t have the conviction to make a big move at the quarterback position. Their hesitance or reluctance ultimately did them in.
Other issues arose during his time with decision-making and conservative play-calling decisions.
Smith became infamous on social media and on football TV shows for his usage decisions with some of the best players on the Falcons’ roster.
“I’m totally fine if Arthur Smith hates me, hates fantasy football, hates everyone who plays it. But not utilizing your best players to win NFL games is an issue,” NBC’s Matthew Berry argued.
The good with Smith: he’s a former head coach and he’s an offensive guy.
That is where the list ends. Smith is uninspiring and gives off Adam Gase vibes which is never good.
If an offensive coach is the best guy, the Jets should hire that person to be the next head coach. However they shouldn’t just hire an offensive guy for the sake of hiring an offensive guy. That’s a bad process.
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