The Jets continued their search for a new coach on Monday by interviewing someone they know well.
Jeff Ulbrich, who served as the Jets interim coach for the final 12 games, was interviewed for the permanent coaching position.
On Oct. 8, after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh following a 2-3 start, Ulbrich, who was the defensive coordinator, became the team’s interim coach. Johnson hoped Ulbrich would ignite a spark and lead Gang Green to the playoffs. However, Saleh’s firing had the opposite effect.
Under Ulbrich, 47, the Jets went 3-9, finishing 5-12 and in third place in the AFC East for the second consecutive season. Gang Green was the preseason favorite to win the AFC East.
“First of all, wanted to thank the Johnson family for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Jets even though it was an interim basis,” Ulbrich said last week. “It was a great honor. One of the great honors of my football career.
“I want to thank this fanbase. It’s one of the great fanbases in this game; passionate, all in, and wish I could have done more for them. I want to thank the coaching staff in this building, the support staff, unbelievable in a very trying year, stayed the course and unwavering support at all times, and then finally want to thank these players because, amazing locker room in the face of real football adversity, they stayed together, they stayed the course. They finished in a way that they should all be proud of and for that, I’m forever grateful.”
Ulbrich became the Jets defensive coordinator in 2021 after Saleh was hired. Before that, Ulbrich was a 10-year linebacker for the 49ers and an assistant coach for the Seahawks, UCLA, and the Falcons.
After Ulbrich was made interim coach, he also maintained his duties as defensive coordinator. However, it appeared that wearing dual hats was too much for Ulbrich, and the Jets’ defense suffered because of it.
Prior to becoming the Jets interim coach, Ulbrich had no head coaching experience at any level. Although the Jets defense finished third overall in yards allowed (313.8) this season, it finished 20th in points allowed (23.8), which was worse than the previous season (20.9).
After the 40-14 loss to the Bills on Dec. 29, Ulbrich was asked to evaluate Aaron Rodgers‘ performance, and his response was jaw-dropping.
“Honestly, I didn’t get to see a whole lot of the offense,” Ulbrich said. “I was doing a lot of defensive adjustments, especially that first half and a good part of that third quarter. So, we’ll see when I get a good look at the tape.
In addition to that and his questionable game management decisions, the Jets lost six games in which they were leading in the fourth quarter. Gang Green also committed 137 penalties in 2024, which led the league.
In hindsight, Ulbrich said if he could do it over again, he would not be both the defensive coordinator and coach.
“I would much rather have the ability to go from offense to defense to special teams,” Ulbrich said. “There’s moments, especially on gameday, where I’m busy being a defensive coordinator where my resources might be better equipped at being the head coach, just at certain times within games, and there’s times definitely where being a head coach can get in the way of prepping for defense for me, and vice versa.”
The Jets began interviewing candidates during the final few games of the season. Ulbrich said having other candidates in the building wasn’t uncomfortable while the Jets were preparing to win games.
“There’s things that I need to improve on, and there’s things that I got to take a critical look at myself and find the spaces where I can improve those,” Ulbrich said. “I’m far from perfect, and I’m excited about that opportunity to really, with a fine-tooth comb evaluate every decision.”
Ulbrich is the ninth known candidate to interview for the Jets coaching job. Ron Rivera, Mike Vrabel, Rex Ryan, Mike Locksley, Aaron Glenn, Matt Nagy, Darren Rizzi, and Steve Spagnuolo were all previously interviewed for the position.
Johnson hired The 33rd Team in November to help identify candidates for both the general manager and coaching positions. This was after Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas after five-plus seasons.
The Jets have interviewed 13 candidates for their general manager vacancy.