Vacchiano details the Saleh hiring process

[Scott Dierking]

Sources around league explain how the Jets landed on hiring Robert Saleh

Looks like Joe Douglas made the right move

 

Ralph VacchianoNFL Insider

1/17/2021 6:27pm

There were some familiar faces among the possibilities as Jets GM Joe Douglas began his first coaching search. He had friendships with some NFL assistants. He knew some college coaches well. A coach with whom he won a Super Bowl would eventually become available, too.

In the end, though, none of that mattered. He decided to hire a man he had never met.

That’s how open Douglas’ mind was when this process began. The first time he met Robert Saleh, the 41-year-old defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, was the day he conducted his initial, virtual interview with the Jets, according to multiple sources. One wild week later, Douglas hired him as the 20^th head coach in Jets history, giving him a five-year deal with the hopes that together they could turn the franchise around.

“It would’ve been really easy for Joe to fall back on someone he already knew,” said one NFL source, familiar with the Jets’ process. “You see a lot of GMs and teams do that. But he went outside of his comfort zone.

“And I think everyone believes he hit a home run.”

The reviews certainly have been positive for what will surely be one of the most consequential decisions in Douglas’ career. But Douglas has also been praised for the way he came to that decision – a thorough search with 10 known candidates for the job, followed by a quick decision at the end so their top choice didn’t get away.

Douglas promised a “wide net” right from the start, and his initial “short list” was long and varied enough to prove that he meant it. It showed he had no preconceived notions. Four of the coaches he interviewed had a background primarily in offense and six had a background in defense. They ran the gamut in age from 62-year-old Marvin Lewis, the only former head coach on the list, to 31-year-old Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who had just one year as a coordinator in the NFL.

The search was considered “wide open” from the start, a source said – no early favorites. But that changed on Friday, Jan. 8 when Saleh had his first virtual interview with the Jets.

“He wowed them,” said one source familiar with the interview. “His presence, his confidence, his plan … it was all there. He convinced them he believed he could turn everything around quickly. He was exactly what they wanted the image of their leader to be.”

Saleh was understandably in demand, too. Before the process was over he would interview with six of the seven teams looking for a new coach – everyone but the Texans. He had been considered a rising star around the NFL for years, particularly after his second-ranked defense led the 49ers to the Super Bowl a year ago.

Some thought he was the favorite for the job with the Detroit Lions, especially since he was a native of Dearborn, Mich. Others believe he was the fallback candidate in Jacksonville if the Jaguars weren’t able to land Urban Meyer.

Whether that’s true or not, one thing was clear: Saleh was definitely interested in the Jets, too.

“He thought it was one of the best jobs on the board,” said an NFL source. “The Jets have some pieces there and a ton of draft picks and cap room to build a team quickly. He thought there was more there than some of the other teams. Definitely more than the Lions.”

The Jets, though, were not ready to jump even though he impressed them in that first meeting. They had a plan to be methodical and thorough and nothing was going to change that. They had already interviewed Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Lewis. They had already lost one candidate when Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham backed out. And they had six more interviews scheduled. Brady, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Saints defensive back (and former Jet) Aaron Glenn would all get virtual interviews in a wild next three days.

It’s unclear if Douglas spoke to any other candidates. There was a report that Iowa State coach Matt Campbell declined to be interviewed. There was another report that an interview had been scheduled with Florida’s Dan Mullen, though that never occurred. And most conspicuously, Douglas, a former Ravens scout, never requested permission to interview Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, whom many NFL sources had speculated would be near the top of Douglas’ preliminary list.

He did not have obvious ties to most of the coaches on his interview list.

When the six days of virtual interviews were over, Saleh had emerged as a clear-cut favorite in the organization, a source said. But Smith, who had drawn interest from every team looking for a coach, closed the gap with his strong interview of his own on Monday, Jan. 11, one day after the Titans had been eliminated in the playoffs. His work resurrecting quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s career and his vision for the Jets’ offense were particularly intriguing, according to a source.

But something else happened that Monday: Eagles coach Doug Pederson was unexpectedly fired. Douglas and Pederson had worked together for three years in Philadelphia, when Douglas was their vice president of player personnel. They had a close relationship, according to multiple sources. In fact, prior to the end of the season one NFL source had said that if Pederson was fired to “put him at the top of Joe’s list.”

It’s unclear if Douglas gave any consideration to expanding his search at that point. But Pederson, according to a source, wasn’t even sure he wanted to immediately get back into coaching. A source close to him said he planned to take a couple of days on a brief vacation with his wife to ponder his future.

But by then, the Jets knew his future wouldn’t be with them.

“It was just too late,” said one source familiar with the process. “By then (the Jets) had done nine interviews, were planning to bring in two finalists and had fallen in love with Saleh. Maybe if Doug had been fired at the end of the season he would’ve been in the mix. But he wasn’t.

“Too much work had already been done.”

So the Jets focused their attention on Saleh and Smith, first flying Saleh into New Jersey on Tuesday night, Jan. 12. Before he left on Wednesday he had met with Douglas, CEO Christopher Johnson and team president Hymie Elhai and other members of the Jets organization. There were some indications throughout the day that the Jets were on the verge of hiring him, but it’s not believed that they made him an offer. They wanted to complete their process and meet Smith, who was flying in on Wednesday night, in person, too.

While Saleh was meeting with the Jets, though, the Philadelphia Eagles requested permission to interview him, too. So plans were made for Saleh to fly on Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie’s private plane to Florida, where the Eagles management was meeting, as soon as his Jets interview was over. The Los Angeles Chargers also indicated they wanted to bring him in for a second interview that weekend.

The interest in Smith, meanwhile, was also heating up. He had a second interview with the Atlanta Falcons the day he flew to New Jersey to meet with the Jets. He also had an invitation from the Lions to fly to Detroit the next day for a second interview with them, too.

So on Thursday, after Smith left, Douglas, Johnson and Elhai decided to regroup and discuss their next move. They could hire Saleh and Smith immediately, since both of their teams’ seasons were over. And given the outside interest in those two, they’d probably have to move quickly. Or they could wait out the weekend to see if any of their remaining candidates on playoff teams would be available. Several people said they had at least some interest in Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

By then, though, they were all sold on Saleh as their guy. Late Thursday night, after they agreed to terms on a contract, the hiring was officially announced.

The immediate reviews were overwhelmingly positive, from current players to Saleh’s former players, to nearly everyone around the league.

“You’re not going to find a single person in the league that’s going to say a negative word about this hire – and that rarely happens,” said an AFC executive. “(Saleh) is exactly what that franchise needed. And if it’s true that Joe really didn’t know him, that’s great. That’s the way this is supposed to work. Hire the best guy, don’t just hire your best friends.”

 

[ZachEY]

4 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

Looks like Joe Douglas made the right move

Lol, ok.

[Scott Dierking]

Just now, TeddEY said:

Lol, ok.

BTW, that was not my commentary. 

[Barry McCockinner]

didn't even need a helicopter ride

[Integrity28]

Well, at least they didn’t get sniped or flubb all the early candidates, and leave themselves with re-hiring Adam Gase as the only option.

Progress?

[More Cowbell]

Don't  we see this same talk with e ery new HC who is hired? We were even hearing how so many players on Miami thought Gase was a solid choice ?

[Bugg]

"Some thought he was the favorite for the job with the Detroit Lions, especially since he was a native of Dearborn, Mich." Still shocked the Lions didn't make Saleh their priority. Really makes no sense for them not to have done so. 

[Scott Dierking]

2 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Well, at least they didn’t get sniped or flubb all the early candidates, and leave themselves with re-hiring Adam Gase as the only option.

Progress?

It is just nice to see that cronyism didn't rule the day. Someone that is not afraid to be a little uncomfortable. 

[QB1]

Impressive job of stretching absolutely no new info into a 2000 word article 

[Scott Dierking]

2 minutes ago, More Cowbell said:

Don't  we see this same talk with e ery new HC who is hired? We were even hearing how so many players on Miami thought Gase was a solid choice ?

The article is less an endorsement of Saleh (although it has some of those elements), and more of the process of what happened. Which was a great topic of debate here. This helps close some of those circles.

 

[68JET11]

23 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

Whether that’s true or not, one thing was clear: Saleh was definitely interested in the Jets, too.

“He thought it was one of the best jobs on the board,” said an NFL source. “The Jets have some pieces there and a ton of draft picks and cap room to build a team quickly. He thought there was more there than some of the other teams. Definitely more than the Lions.”

For all of you on the Watson bandwagon, This is telling as to why Sahel wanted the JETS job. I don't see JD or Saleh buying into giving that up for Watson.

[Scott Dierking]

2 minutes ago, QB1 said:

Impressive job of stretching absolutely no new info into a 2000 word article 

Actually, we were led to believe on the night that Saleh was going to Fla. (for the Philly job), that the Jets HAD put an offer out. This article says that may have not have been true.

You may recall on that evening, you (Nico) said the Jets had botched and and the "door was closed" on Saleh coming to the Jets.

 

[Waka Flocka Flacco]

12 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

Lol, ok.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25730461/qb-sam-darnold-convinced-new-york-jets-made-right-coaching-hire-adam-gase

https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2015/01/new_york_jets_got_it_right_with_hirings_of_todd_bowles_mike_maccagnan_what_theyre_saying.html

https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090120/SPORTS/901200330

[More Cowbell]

3 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

The article is less an endorsement of Saleh (although it has some of those elements), and more of the process of what happened. Which was a great topic of debate here. This helps close some of those circles.

 

I think it is kind of stating the obvious.  I was pretty sure this was a JD hire even though  we heard CJ was signing off on it. Sounds like it was JD said let's hire Rob and CJ said ok. 

[rangerous]

sounds like they made the right choice.  it's not like they were bidding against themselves like they did with gase and bowles (and even rex).  they went after a got a hot name in the coordinator ranks.  i guess the only downside is none of these coordinators have been head coaches at any level. and many haven't had any experience managing the other side of the ball.  i think the part about pederson is right.  he just got fired and it's going to take some time before the fire returns.  it's not like parcells where he had already scoped out the jets job and was going to move on from the patsies.

[Scott Dierking]

8 minutes ago, 68JET11 said:

For all of you on the Watson bandwagon, This is telling as to why Sahel wanted the JETS job. I don't see JD or Saleh buying into giving that up for Watson.

I get that sense, more and more too.

This article states that the jets were impressed with Smith's "vision" for the Jets offense. I may be reading into things, but to have a vision already, you kind of have to know who your qb is. Maybe I am wrong in that interpretation.

[68JET11]

6 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

I get that sense, more and more too.

This article states that the jets were impressed with Smith's "vision" for the Jets offense. I may be reading into things, but to have a vision already, you kind of have to know who your qb is. Maybe I am wrong in that interpretation.

I'm guessing we'll never know what that "vision" was, unless Atlanta trades for Watson lol...

[jetophile]

If Aaron Glenn doesn't land a HC job somewhere I'd still like to have him on the Jets in some capacity. Why? Because I'd like to have him on the Jets in some capacity. *That's the extent of my in-depth professional analysis.

The biggest bright spot of that article is that I didn't see the Johnsons stupid faces mentioned in the active part of the vetting process. Hopefully it wasn't a lie of omission. It may also explain Joe Douglas's narcolepsy during games. Chris Johnson was about to open the door and say hiya bub.

 

 

 

*Am not a professional at anything except making pictures with a bunch of crayons but the jury will always be out.

[Scott Dierking]

Just now, jetophile said:

If Aaron Glenn doesn't land a HC job somewhere I'd still like to have him on the Jets in some capacity. Why? Because I'd like to have him on the Jets in some capacity. *That's the extent of my in-depth professional analysis.

The biggest bright spot of that article is that I didn't see the Johnsons stupid faces mentioned in the active part of the vetting process. Hopefully it wasn't a lie of omission. It may also explain Joe Douglas's narcolepsy during games.

 

 

 

*Am not a professional in any capacity. 

The more I watched the playoff games this weekend, the more I feel that the defensive back coach will be a huge hire for the Jets.

All weekend long, whenever teams were in man coverage, the DB was plastered to the WR in most cases. For some reason, in the Williams defense, the DB seemed to want to give the WR room, even in man coverage. When Frank Bush took over, the DB's seemed to play a little bit better and played tighter to their man.

The Jets need an infusion of talent in the d backfield, but they also need to unlearn what Gregg Williams was teaching.

[jetophile]

3 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

The more I watched the playoff games this weekend, the more I feel that the defensive back coach will be a huge hire for the Jets.

All weekend long, whenever teams were in man coverage, the DB was plastered to the WR in most cases. For some reason, in the Williams defense, the DB seemed to want to give the WR room, even in man coverage. When Frank Bush took over, the DB's seemed to play a little bit better and played tighter to their man.

The Jets need an infusion of talent in the d backfield, but they also need to unlearn what Gregg Williams was teaching.

It was almost a little shocking to see how much Williams was NOT working after he got kicked in his ass. Good post. I was kinda going there, but you said it better. You also caught me editing with my pants down, lol. 

Speaking of unlearning, The Boot needs to get his entire three year slate wiped clean. Mechanics to a degree; but Sam is best when he goes off-script. Somebody else besides me who knows less about football than a dead Al Davis needs to recognize this and tweak it so he's not always playing with a stick up his butt. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, partly because I want it that way.

[Warfish]

55 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

Lol, ok.

You object to the Saleh hire?

[Waka Flocka Flacco]

1 minute ago, jetophile said:

It was almost a little shocking to see how much Williams was NOT working after he got kicked in his ass. Good post. I was kinda going there, but you said it better. You also caught me editing with my pants down, lol. 

Speaking of unlearning, The Boot needs to get his entire three year slate wiped clean. Mechanics to a degree; but Sam is best when he goes off-script. Somebody else besides me who knows less about football than a dead Al Davis needs to recognize this and tweak it so he's not always playing with a stick up his butt. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, partly because I want it that way.

this is so ******* weird

[jetophile]

2 minutes ago, Waka Flocka Flacco said:

this is so ******* weird

Do I know you, Sir?

[Matt39]

43 minutes ago, QB1 said:

Impressive job of stretching absolutely no new info into a 2000 word article 

Was gonna say lol. Where are the details. What vision we talking about here.

[section314]

30 minutes ago, 68JET11 said:

I'm guessing we'll never know what that "vision" was, unless Atlanta trades for Watson lol...

Or trades up with us for Wilson/Fields.

[Scott Dierking]

8 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Was gonna say lol. Where are the details. What vision we talking about here.

I really don't know any team that telegraphs their "vision" in detail, before they actually put the detail (players and scheme) of that vision in place. it kind of helps their competitive advantage.

[Matt39]

3 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

I really don't know any team that telegraphs their "vision" in detail, before they actually put the detail (players and scheme) of that vision in place. it kind of helps their competitive advantage.

I mean I don’t need a full on swot here but some more details on how this came together, an overarching vision would be cool. Maybe during the presser but they’re slow walking that too. 

[Dcat]

1 hour ago, Scott Dierking said:

Actually, we were led to believe on the night that Saleh was going to Fla. (for the Philly job), that the Jets HAD put an offer out. This article says that may have not have been true.

You may recall on that evening, you (Nico) said the Jets had botched and and the "door was closed" on Saleh coming to the Jets.

@bitonti said the same thing.  "He didn't just go out for a smoke, you know".  

LOL  Some people are just so impulsive in their terribly wrong interpretation of events.  

[jgb]

1 hour ago, Scott Dierking said:

Actually, we were led to believe on the night that Saleh was going to Fla. (for the Philly job), that the Jets HAD put an offer out. This article says that may have not have been true.

You may recall on that evening, you (Nico) said the Jets had botched and and the "door was closed" on Saleh coming to the Jets.

 

Guess it's time for nico to retire his new username and get another.

[jgb]

16 minutes ago, Dcat said:

@bitonti said the same thing.  "He didn't just go out for a smoke, you know".  

LOL  Some people are just so impulsive in their terribly wrong interpretation of events.  

They compare how Pizza Hut hires servers "want da job, or wut?" to how billion-dollar organizations hire top executives.

[Greensleeves]

1 hour ago, Scott Dierking said:

I get that sense, more and more too.

This article states that the jets were impressed with Smith's "vision" for the Jets offense. I may be reading into things, but to have a vision already, you kind of have to know who your qb is. Maybe I am wrong in that interpretation.

Except one of the best QBs in the league that is 25 wasn't considered to be available. We will still have plenty of assets to build around Watson. It would be a bad move not to try to get him. Even if we give up the #2 pick, our second #1 next year, and a #1 the following year, we still have a #1 this year, one #1 next year, probably 2 #2 picks, 2 #3 picks and a ton of cap space. Plus, we'll be a lot closer to being a contending team. It's a no brainer. The other way we could go is having more picks to use on players we won't know if they are good or not and having a significantly weaker QB - the most important position on the team. Also, and this is a big also, you cannot allow Miami to get him.

[ZachEY]

1 hour ago, Scott Dierking said:

BTW, that was not my commentary. 

I know.

[ZachEY]

1 hour ago, Waka Flocka Flacco said:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25730461/qb-sam-darnold-convinced-new-york-jets-made-right-coaching-hire-adam-gase

https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2015/01/new_york_jets_got_it_right_with_hirings_of_todd_bowles_mike_maccagnan_what_theyre_saying.html

https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090120/SPORTS/901200330

True each time.

[ZachEY]

51 minutes ago, Warfish said:

You object to the Saleh hire?

I object to calling it “the right move” on January 17th, 2021.

[Warfish]

3 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

I object to calling it “the right move” on January 17th, 2021.

So what WAS the right move on January 17th, 2021, as you see it?