On Tuesday, nearly a month after the end of the 2025 regular season, the Jets decided to fire offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Engstrand joined head coach Aaron Glenn’s staff in his first year at the helm in New York, and things went poorly from the beginning. The Jets were hoping to revive the career of Justin Fields after signing the former first-round pick in free agency, but the experiment failed; Fields wound up benched for Tyrod Taylor and then Brady Cook before season’s end. When it was all said and done, the Jets finished the year 3-14 and were one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL. New York ranked 29th in total yards and points per game while finishing dead last with 140.3 passing yards per game.
Engstrand’s coaching career began at the University of San Diego under Jim Harbaugh and he coached there for over a decade before bouncing to Michigan to be an offensive analyst, once again under the younger Harbaugh brother. His first offensive coordinator gig came for the DC Defenders of the since-folded XFL. From 2020 to ’24, Engstrand coached for the Lions under Dan Campbell before joining Glenn in leaving Detroit for the Jets.
His firing is a bit of a surprise, but only because it comes so late in the coaching cycle. Most teams, such as his previous employer in Detroit, fire their OC as early as possible in January so they can go searching for a replacement immediately. It’s especially important to keep to that schedule given how popular talented offensive minds are in today’s NFL. The best candidates don’t stay available for very long.
If the Jets made the decision to move on from Engstrand after Week 18 ended on January 4, they could have brought in Mike McDaniel for an interview as an example. Instead, he interviewed for a variety of jobs before electing to join the Chargers’ staff. It’s unlikely New York would have been in the running for his services, but the timing of the Engstrand decision means the franchise didn’t even get the chance to make their case.
Engstrand is but the latest Jets coach to be fired after Glenn’s disastrous first season. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was dismissed in December and numerous other coaches on both sides of the ball were given pink slips this month. It’s curious for there to be so much turnover while Glenn remains in charge, but the inner workings of the Jets have long been a mystery to the general public.
Glenn must now find two new coordinators to lead the team for 2026. Whoever replaces Engstrand will be the 12th OC for the Jets in the last 16 years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jets Fire Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand After 3-14 Season.
