New York Jets fire Gregg Williams, paving way for more changes
The New York Jets fired Gregg Williams one day after his defense lost a game.
It seemed inevitable after the New York Jets started 0-11 that the entire staff would be gone, perhaps at the end of the season. But Sunday’s loss was the last straw for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the longtime NFL coach was relieved of his duties after the team fell to 0-12 on the year.
With the Jets only four games away from the third 0-16 season in NFL history, the move was right to make but leaves questions as to why head coach Adam Gase is still in the position that he is in (perhaps he’s the best man suited to secure Trevor Lawrence for Gang Green).
Nonetheless, what happened against the Raiders, allowing a last-second Hail Mary while calling a zero blitz, was inexcusable — although a win by the Jets would have allowed Jacksonville to take the top overall pick due to the strength of schedule tiebreakers.
Williams is now out of a job once again after being relieved of his position multiple times, none more famous than the New Orleans Saints Bountygate scandal that placed a blemish on the 2009 Super Bowl championship.
Gregg Williams may be gone but the New York Jets likely aren’t done cleaning house.
Don’t get your hopes up if you happen to represent Gang Green. The Jets clearly want to get Trevor Lawrence. Given what the Jaguars currently stand at, New York will likely have to endure a reversal of perfection in order to solidify their stock.
While this may be a down moment for prominent players such as Frank Gore or even a former Super Bowl MVP in Joe Flacco, it must be noted that the Jets are trying to build for the future, even if Williams is not part of that mixture. Players such as Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims will be vital moving forward.
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Gregg Williams is gone and soon Gase will follow. There will likely be other wholesale changes on the roster. Regardless, the Jets will likely continue to lose their way out to the wrong side of history, with the hopes that the light at the end of the tunnel will produce a winner that has not been seen since pre-Watergate.