Report: McCarthy Wants Only Jets Head Coach Job
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mike McCarthy, by far the most experienced candidate available, wants to be the head coach of the New York Jets.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, McCarthy hopes to work with young quarterback Sam Darnold and lead the Jets out of the abyss they've found themselves in for the last eight non-playoff seasons. The last four seasons were under Todd Bowles, who was fired hours after the regular-season ending loss to New England.
Your move, Christopher Johnson.
Former Packers' HC Mike McCarthy doesn't want to be considered, and isn't pursuing, any other HC vacancy other than the New York Jets', per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2019
It is unclear how many interviews McCarthy, who was the head man for 13 years in Green Bay before being fired after 12 games this season, has been on. There were eight head coach openings across the NFL by the end of "Black Monday," the day after the regular season ended. Since then, the Packers hired Tennessee offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, the Arizona Cardinals hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lured Bruce Arians out of retirement.
MORE: Darnold The Big-Time Selling Point For Jets In Coach Search
The Jets are expected to name a new head coach any day. They have confirmed interviewing six candidates, including Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy; Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Kris Richard; former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell; Todd Monken, who spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers; and former Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase.
The Jets have also reportedly reached out to Baylor head coach Matt Rhule and spoke to Kingsbury before he took the opening with the Cardinals.
McCarthy's overall résumé speaks for itself. He made nine playoff appearances with the Packers, finishing with a 125-77-2 regular-season record and 10-8 mark in the postseason, including a Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers to cap the 2010 season.
The 55-year-old coach led the Packers to the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2016, a streak at the time matched only by the Patriots. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed most of the 2017 season with a broken collarbone as Green Bay finished 7-9.
But, his return this season didn't translate into a postseason appearance — and it ultimately cost McCarthy his job as the Packers went 4-7-1 under him and the team replaced him with Joe Philbin on an interim basis. There were also reports that Rodgers and McCarthy didn't see eye-to-eye on play-calling in recent seasons, as some have accused McCarthy of not adapting his offense to the NFL's ever-changing times.
A report earlier this week stated Christopher Johnson, who has been running the Jets the last few years while his owner brother, Woody Johnson, serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, is "enamored" with McCarthy. However, there have also been reports suggesting the Jets might want to go with a younger coach, perhaps from the college ranks, that specializes in developing quarterbacks and employing innovative offensive schemes.