A new name has emerged in the New York Jets defensive coordinator sweepstakes.
Former head coach Raheem Morris, who was fired by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, January 4, has emerged as a candidate for the vacant DC gig.
New York Sports Columnist Mark Cannizzaro revealed on social media that Morris “has a relationship with Aaron Glenn … this is definitely something to watch.”
Morris won a pair of Super Bowl rings as an assistant. In 2002, as a defensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in 2021 as the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams.
Plenty of Connective Tissue for Coach Morris and the Jets
Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News shared on social media that Morris “is a Jersey guy” and pointed out that the Jets have a vacancy at DC.
Morris, 49, was born in Newark, New Jersey. He went to high school in Irvington, New Jersey. Morris attended college at Hofstra. He spent the first four years of his coaching journey in New York between Hofstra and Cornell.
Former Jets wide receiver Rob Carpenter took to social media to state his case, saying, “AG call this man immediately to be the new DC.”
He has family in the area, and this could be a version of Mama calling you home.
“The Jets should be in contact with Raheem Morris as soon as humanly possible about the defensive coordinator job. He’s at the top of the list, and the advantage of having a head coach in place is [that] you don’t need to wait. That’s 100% where they should start,” Sirius Radio NFL host Bill Lekas posted on X previously Twitter.
It’s Time to Face the Music
Let’s face it. Some people just aren’t born to be head coaches.
Morris has gotten two whacks at the piñata. He has a 37-56 overall record and has been fired twice. Across his six years as an NFL head coach, he had five losing seasons. While he may not be cut out to be an HC of an NFL team, he has done a nice job as a DC previously.
Morris has five years of experience as a defensive coordinator—four years at the NFL level and a year at the collegiate level.
“During that time, the Rams went 12-5, 5-12, and 10-7 between 2021-23. The Rams won the Super Bowl championship in 2021, with a defense that ranked No. 6 in rushing yards allowed, No. 22 in passing yards allowed, and No. 17 in total yards allowed,” the Falcons stated in a press release.
Across each of those seasons, the Rams’ defense recorded at least 10 interceptions. In 2021, the Rams had the third-most interceptions in the league as a defense (19). In 2022, the Rams had 16 interceptions as a defense, which was the fourth most in the league, per ESPN.
A Crazy Twist of Fate…
In Week 13, the Jets beat the Falcons 27-24.
The Jets didn’t win another game the rest of the season, and Atlanta won four of their next five. NFL Insider Ari Meirov pointed out on social media that if Atlanta had beaten the Jets, a lot would have changed.
Instead of the Jets ending up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, they would have had the top selection. While the Falcons would have won the NFC South, hosted a playoff game on Super Wildcard weekend, and Morris would still have a job.
– Atlanta would only lose one more time the rest of the season. – The Jets would not win another game.
If the result flipped in that game, Atlanta would be NFC South champs… and the Jets would have the No. 1 overall pick.
2-Time Super Bowl Champ Labeled Name to Watch for Jets DC Role