According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former New York Jets head coach Adam Gase is returning to the NFL, joining the Los Angeles Chargers as a passing game assistant.
He’s back: After a five-year hiatus, Adam Gase returns to coaching in the NFL, joining the #Chargers as an assistant focusing on the passing game, sources say.
The former #Jets and #Dolphins coach rose in the ranks as a record-setting offensive mind. Now back to his roots in LA. pic.twitter.com/swCKTPt1bm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2026
It’s Gase’s first job in football since the Jets fired him as their head coach after the 2020 season.
Gase is the latest failed Jets coach to find a new home this offseason. Robert Saleh will get his second chance as a head coach with the Tennessee Titans, while Mike LaFleur is getting his first shot as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach. Nathaniel Hackett will be LaFleur’s offensive coordinator.
Jets’ coaching tree grows
Adam Gase coached the Jets for two seasons. In those two years, the team squandered the young career of quarterback Sam Darnold, failed to build a competent offensive line, and became one of the league’s most talent-barren teams.
His .281 winning percentage is the second-lowest in team history for coaches who were in the role for more than just a single season. Only Rich Kotite (.125) had a worse record in the role.
Gase took a few years off after his failure in New York. Now, he’s back.
Los Angeles brought in Mike McDaniel to run the offense, but the addition of Gase is expected to help overhaul the Chargers’ passing game around Justin Herbert.
It’s a somewhat shocking move around the league. Gase hasn’t coached in five years and was an abject failure when tasked with developing the Jets’ passing game.
Gase is being hired for his previous work with the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning over anything else. For Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh to sign off on a hire like this is shocking, considering his push to stay ahead of modern schemes.