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Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens.
New York Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich jokingly tried a Hail Mary to solve his new team’s quarterback issues.
Dan Pompei of The Athletic reported that Reich, while driving from North Carolina to New Jersey, dialed up his former, now retired quarterback, Andrew Luck, with a favor to ask.
“Andrew, I’m in a bind,” Reich told Luck, according to Pompei. “I need your help. Will you be my interim quarterback?”
“They laughed hard because they both knew there was no possibility that Luck would resume his playing career. They also laughed hard because it wasn’t that long ago when it seemed there was no possibility of Reich resuming his coaching career,” Pompei wrote.
“Luck later became general manager of Stanford’s football team, and last year Luck had asked Reich for a favor — he wanted him to serve as his interim head football coach for one season after an unexpected vacancy. Reich went along to help a friend,” Pompei explained.
The Jets Never Ending Search to Find the Next QB1
It was worth a try, Frank, but alas, the Jets’ next starting quarterback won’t be 36-year-old Andrew Luck, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2018.
Reich, 64, was ready for retirement before he got the call from his former teammate Aaron Glenn this offseason to push the sun back into the sky one more time.
After Reich was hired in early February by the Jets, he immediately went to work building his staff and then meeting with his offensive assistants.
“Together, they envision a system that will take the best of what he has done and blend it with the best of what they have done. There will also be fresh concepts like more passing off wide zone, he says, but that probably will depend on which quarterback the Jets settle on,” Pompei wrote.
“Calling plays turns him on. He gave up play calling with the Panthers for three games but went back to doing it when the offense was struggling. He also called plays as head coach of the Colts and as offensive coordinator of the Chargers. He even called plays for Kelly on critical downs in the K-Gun no-huddle for the Bills,” Pompei added.
AG was looking for a “head coach of the offense,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
Reich has the keys to the car for the Jets offense. He had full control of who his assistants were, and he will have major influence over who ends up being the QB1 in New York, Cimini told me.
Revealing the Reich QB Dating Profile
Now that the Jets have hired an OC, what they could be looking for in their next quarterback has started to become clearer.
“I don’t think anybody under six foot is playing quarterback for the New York Jets. That’s just me knowing my friend and knowing what my friend likes in terms of attributes for quarterbacks,” longtime former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason explained on WFAN.
“I would say anybody who is 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-5 and anybody who is probably 205 to 240 [pounds] and somebody with a modicum amount of movement. You know, just a little bit of movement, who can run a little bit here and run a little bit there. Somebody who is going to be very smart,” Esiason added.
The Jets are expected to be “ultra aggressive” in the QB market this offseason. That plan will include options in free agency, the trade market, and the 2026 NFL draft.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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