Jets hire Frank Reich to oversee offense after Stanford stop
The New York Jets have hired Frank Reich as offensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday. The veteran coach is expected to handle play calling under head coach Aaron Glenn, sources told CBS Sports. The development follows the club’s virtual interviews last week with five offensive coordinator candidates, including Reich.
Reich, 64, was interviewed Jan. 28 as part of a group that also included Darrell Bevell, Ronald Curry, Greg Roman and Lunda Wells. The pursuit of the Reich then accelerated.
“Frank possesses a rare combination of experience, creativity and calm under pressure,” Glenn said in a statement. “He’s experienced this game from every angle – as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who has run offenses at the highest level. He is unique in his ability to see the game as it is right now and adapt when appropriate. Frank understands the offense and knows how to utilize players’ strengths. I look forward to seeing how he helps this team succeed.”
The offensive search comes amid broader personnel changes following the team’s 3-14 season in Glenn’s first year. New York previously moved on from offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand after one year, opening the door for a new player. Separately, the Jets last week hired Brian Duker as defensive coordinator in a move that was not without its drama — the Jets team was in advanced talks to hire former Giants coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who was at Michigan the past two years, before a misunderstanding over who would call defensive plays led Martindale to back out, according to SNY. Coaches who had been lined up to join Martindale’s hypothetical staff for the Jets told CBS Sports they thought the deal was essentially a done deal.
Reich returns to the NFL after spending 2025 as Stanford’s interim head coach on a one-year deal that began in March when Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck, whom Reich coached with the Indianapolis Coltsappointed him after coach Troy Taylor was fired amid scandal. Reich helped Stanford avoid a largely losing season — the Cardinal beat Cal in the Big Game, shocked Florida State and finished with a winning home record for the first time since 2018 — before transitioning into a senior advisor role after Luck hired a permanent head coach.
Before Stanford, Reich spent nearly two decades in coaching roles in the NFL. He served as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2017) during their Super Bowl LII championship season, then went 40-33-1 in four-plus seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts (2018-2022). He was fired 11 games in his lone season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2023; the Panthers were 1-10.
The Jets are looking to overhaul an offense that finished 29th in total offense and points and 32nd in passing yards per game in 2025. The Jets are expected to explore quarterback options in free agency and the draft this offseason.
Wednesday’s slate of interviews highlighted New York’s emphasis on game experience around the quarterback position. Bevell most recently worked with Miami’s quarterbacks, Curry coached at that position in Buffalo, Roman served in multiple roles as an NFL offensive coordinator and Wells is a longtime assistant in Dallas. The Jets said all five interviews were conducted virtually.
Reich’s arrival completes the top layer of Glenn’s squad following Duker’s appointment and caps a week in which the defensive look briefly appeared in Martindale’s direction before the club’s plans changed.
