NFL Hot Seat: 5 coaches that could get fired before the 2020 season ends

The marriage between head coach Adam Gase and the New York Jets feels rocky at best. To say it got off to a weird start would be a gross understatement. Gase looked like he hadn’t slept in a week at his introductory press conference. His quarterback Sam Darnold contracted mononucleosis during the early part of the season. Gase was hitting the smelling salts hard.

From seeing ghosts to one awkward press conference after another with the insufferable New York media, it’s incredible the Jets didn’t end up with a bottom-five record. Though they’re picking 11th in two weeks, 2020 is a critical year for Darnold as a quarterback, Gase as a head coach and New York as a professional football organization in the AFC East. They all need to succeed.

If Darnold is the franchise savior, he’ll need to prove it. If Gase is an NFL head coach, he’ll need to show that he is one. And if the Jets want to ever start thinking about getting out of their own way, they need to challenge the Buffalo Bills for divisional supremacy now Tom Brady is out of the AFC East. The Jets could fly this season just as easily they could struggle to even get off the runway.

As long as general manager Joe Douglas has a nice draft, he will be in good shape. New York has been devoid of talent because Mike Maccagnan could not have been more over his skis. If the Jets sputter out of the gate, Gase could be out and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will have another interim opportunity. He did a fine job two years ago leading the Cleveland Browns.