Report: Jets Zero In On Offensive Coordinator, Expected To Hire Saints' Morton
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Jets may finally have themselves an offensive coordinator.
Devoid of big-name candidates, due in large part to the current state of the struggling franchise, the Jets reportedly will hire John Morton as their next offensive coordinator.
Who?
Morton has spent the past few seasons as the New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach, helping turn Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas into 1,000-yard pass-catchers.
Even though he has never held a high-profile position with an NFL team, Morton has been around. He enjoyed two stints working under Saints head coach Sean Payton, first in 2006 as an offensive assistant and passing game coordinator and since 2015 as receivers coach. He previously held the latter position with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-'14 under Jim Harbaugh.
Among many other jobs, Morton was also receivers coach and passing game coordinator for USC, with a single season as the Trojans' offensive coordinator in 2009.
If hired, Morton will replace Chan Gailey, who retired following the 2016 season after two years with the team. Gailey enjoyed a ton of success in 2015, guiding veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a career season as the Jets finished 10-6 and came within one win of the playoffs.
Gailey's good fortune ended this past season as the Jets went 5-11 due in large part to Fitzpatrick's regression. The Jets finished 26th in yards per game and 30th in points per game.
Morton is expected to leave the cozy confines of the Drew Brees-led offense in New Orleans for a desperate situation as the Jets have not had a franchise quarterback in forever and currently have two signal-callers on the roster in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg who are each considered major works in progress. Insiders believe the Jets' starting quarterback in 2017 is not currently on the roster, meaning they will likely need to trade for or sign their guy during the offseason.
MORE: Jets Meet With Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly, Report Says
The Jets are also expected to hire Robert Nunn as defensive line coach, a position he held last season with the Cleveland Browns. Late last week, Gang Green hired Hall of Famer Kevin Greene as outside linebackers coach.
