Well, the time has come. The New York Jets have fired head coach Adam Gase. Jets fans are celebrating the departure of arguably the most disliked coach in franchise history. Players are wishing him farewell, and even the man who hired him, CEO and acting owner Christopher Johnson recognized that “it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction.”
Johnson also continues to say how the Jets “have not been good enough,” and that the organization must “field a team that you can be proud of.” After all, the Adam Gase era was one that Jets fans would love to forget. A questionable hire from the start, he just got fired by the Miami Dolphins weeks prior before coming to New York. And Gase did not exactly have a successful tenure in Miami to back him up. Gase went 23-25 in Miami and now leaves New York having a 9-23 record in two seasons. Ultimately, Gase brought quite a bit of unwanted attention to New York, and a lot of it was for the embarrassment that came off the field.
Ranking the New York Jets Most Embarrassing Moments Under Adam Gase
The Introductory Press Conference
By no means is the New York market an easy one for anyone to take on. Yet, Gase looked unable to handle one of the toughest media markets from the start. With his eyes appearing to be bulging out, and he began to trend on social media, becoming an instant meme. It certainly was the main takeaway from the introductory press conference and a rough start to his tenure.
Mike Maccagnan Fired Right After Draft
When the New York Jets fired head coach Todd Bowles, it came as a surprise that general manager Mike Maccagnan did not join him. Both came onto the staff in 2015 together and were expected to depart together. Instead, the Jets had Maccagnan help Johnson, who had the final say on hiring Gase, with the search.
That off-season, the Jets saw Gase and Maccagnan go hand-in-hand fighting for control of the roster and decision making. Gase even called out Maccagnan for spending big on Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley, who both do not play top-dollar positions. This stemming from how Johnson had both separately reporting to him, not coach to general manager to owner.
Just weeks after Maccagnan oversaw the Jets 2019 NFL Draft, he was fired by the team. Gase won the power struggle and held Maccagnan’s position until Joe Douglas was hired a month later. Without a doubt, the horrible timing of Maccagnan’s firing is one of the most shameful moments in recent Jets history.
Ruining the Chance To Get Trevor Lawrence
Following the 2019 season, Gase stayed on thanks to a miraculous 6-2 run to close the 2019 season. The run managed to cloud judgment, making many forget the disastrous 1-7 start the team had to the season and have faith in Gase going forward.
Nevertheless, it never came about. The defense was not horrible, though was not something to be proud of. The roster had been stripped down by Douglas in order to prepare for an obvious post-Gase future. Except nobody anticipated it to be this bad. Gase, the supposed offensive guru struggled to get his offense to score multiple touchdowns in a game this season. Let alone one.
The Jets went 2-14, which comes as a surprise, as the New York Jets two wins were arguably two of the biggest upsets of the season. Going into Week 15, the Jets were three more losses away from an 0-16 record and first overall pick. And with that, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is considered by many to be a generational player who cannot be passed on.
Instead, the Jets beat the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams back-to-back and ruin their chances of getting Lawrence. In what had been a lost season, Jets fan’s only hope had been a brighter future with the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck under center. Thanks to Gase pulling off the upset of a lifetime not once, but twice, Lawrence will not be a Jet.
Last Word on New York Jets Most Embarrassing Moments Under Adam Gase
Gase will be remembered for many things, most being the embarrassment he has caused. He was a disaster from the moment he stepped behind the podium. He soured the power structure and eventually cost the Jets fans the one thing that gave them hope in 2020. Why, that is not even going into the Darnold-mono situation, the poor locker room culture, or the issues with former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. In the end, Gase will be etched in history along with Rich Kotite and Lou Holtz as the worst head coaches in Jets history.
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