A coaching change at the Chicago Bears means competition for the New York Jets

The New York Jets are looking for a new head coach for the coming season. The last thing they need is more competition.

On Friday, the Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus, creating the third head coaching position for the 2025 cycle.

In addition to the Jets firing Robert Saleh in October, the job in New Orleans is also open following the firing of Dennis Allen.

The Bears (4-8) lost to Detroit on Thursday and the team’s time management at the end of the game was the final moment of his tenure, as he opted not to use his final timeout because his quarterback, rookie Caleb Williams, was struggling to prepare the team for a game in the last seconds.

There were seven head coaching vacancies in the NFL last year.

The Jets have already begun the search for a new general manager and head coach since owner Woody Johnson fired GM Joe Douglas last week. To facilitate this search, the Jets have partnered with the 33rd team to help veteran candidates. The organization is led in part by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum.

The 33rd-ranked team helped ease Washington’s search for GM and head coach last year, and the Commanders are in the running for a playoff spot.

That’s the kind of success Johnson is seeking as his Jets (3-8) are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season.

The Jets cannot interview candidates who are currently employed until after the regular season ends.

Saleh was fired after Week 5 of the season and Johnson did so without consulting Douglas. Saleh finished 20-36 in his three-plus seasons after being hired in 2021 after serving as defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. He is currently an offensive consultant for Green Bay.

Douglas was hired by Philadelphia in 2019 and never put the Jets in position to make the playoffs.

Johnson is expected to first hire a GM and then work with him to hire a head coach. It is expected that Johnson will then take on an ambassadorial role in the Trump administration, leaving the team in the hands of his brother Christopher. It was the same arrangement they used when Johnson served as ambassador to the United Kingdom during Trump’s first term.

There is at least one unemployed coach pushing for the job, and that is former Jets coach Rex Ryan, who was the last coach to lead the franchise to the playoffs in 2010.