Over the last month, plenty of former New York Jets coaches have found new homes around the NFL.
From their former head coach getting a second chance to the AFC East return of an infamous offensive play-caller, Gang Green fans will find out whether some of the coaches they once criticized can find success in new homes.
Former Jets coaches return to AFC
He’s back.
After a season in the shadows as a defensive analyst for the Green Bay Packers, former Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett will return to a key offensive role in 2026.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Hackett has been hired as the Miami Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach. Hackett will follow new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator, whom he worked under in 2025.
Sources say Nathaniel Hackett will join Jeff Hafley’s coaching staff in Miami as QBs coach.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) January 29, 2026
It remains to be seen which quarterback Hackett will be tasked with developing. Trade rumors have shrouded Tua Tagovailoa after a poor season in Miami. Either way, the Jets will see Hackett twice a year, just two years after they revoked his play-calling duties midway through the 2024 season.
The top former Jet to find a new home this offseason was, by far, former head coach Robert Saleh. Despite a 20-36 record as the leader of the Jets, Saleh’s image was completely reborn after a single season as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
Now, Saleh has been hired to do what he failed to do for the Jets, rebuild the Tennessee Titans, starting with the development of a talented franchise quarterback.
Time will tell whether Saleh can fix the Titans, but the organization that once fired Mike Vrabel believes it has found someone in a similar mold.
The key for Saleh is finding the right offensive staff to help him unlock former first-overall pick Cam Ward. The hire of former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as his offensive coordinator could allow Saleh to do what he never could in New York: field a competent offense.
Hackett and Saleh are not the only former Jets coaches from the early-2020s who have made waves on the coaching circuit.
Before Hackett arrived in 2023, the Jets’ offense was run by Mike LaFleur. After two seasons in which a struggling Zach Wilson tanked the Jets’ offense, LaFleur was sent packing, only for Sean McVay to immediately scoop him up as the Rams’ offensive coordinator.
Now, LaFleur is considered one of the top candidates to land the head coaching role in Arizona. LaFleur has emerged as the potential favorite for the Cardinals’ job thanks to his experience with the Rams under McVay.
If LaFleur lands the job in Arizona, we will find out whether the Jets had a good offensive play-caller all along during the Zach Wilson era, or if New York made the right decision to part ways.