Though no final decision has been made, it very much looks as if the Jets will announce the hiring of a new head coach by the end of this week – perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
Phase Three of the Jets’ interview process took place yesterday when general manager Terry Bradway met with Dom Capers in yet another day-long session at Weeb Ewbank Hall that went into the early evening.
Bradway, reached in his office last night, wouldn’t commit to a decision being made by the end of the week, but said, “I think there’s a chance it could happen.”
Bradway, who said he’s “encouraged” team owner Woody Johnson’s input, confirmed that he’ll have final say on the new coach.
Capers, the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, is the only one of the four candidates on the Jets’ list who has NFL head coaching experience.
He coached expansion Carolina from 1995-98, going 30-34 and leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in 1996. After Carolina fell 7-9 in 1997 and 4-12 in ’98, he was fired.
Interestingly, Capers is making a pretty good living right now because of the guaranteed 10-year, $10.4 million contract he signed two years into his Carolina career. It has six more years remaining on it. Capers’ salary with the Jaguars’ as their coordinator is augmented by the Panthers, who make up the difference.
The money Capers is making now is some $200,000 more than Al Groh was making as the Jets’ head coach last year.
After Bradway was finished with Capers last night, he had dinner with Bills’ defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who’s to be formally interviewed by the Jets today.
Cottrell is believed to be the fourth and final candidate, with the Jets apparently showing no interest in waiting for either Super Bowl defensive coordinator, the Ravens’ Marvin Lewis or the Giants’ John Fox, neither of whom can be interviewed until after the Super Bowl, according to NFL rules.
Waiting in anticipation of a final decision are Jets’ assistant head coach/running backs Maurice Carthon, who had the first interview, and Herman Edwards, the Buccaneers’ assistant head coach/defensive backs.
Edwards appears to be the favorite in the clubhouse.
“Going through the process (Monday) with the Jets was one that was a lot of fun,” Edwards said from Mobile, Ala., where he’s scouting at the Senior Bowl. “They’ve won. It’s not like they’re a losing football team. They’ve won in the last three years. They’ve got some good players and got a good nucleus to their football team.”
The Lions, who are also interested in Edwards, spoke to him yesterday in Mobile.