This offseason, the New York Jets lost a number of coaches, but they nearly lost the most crucial component of the team.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt revealed in a piece published on Monday, March 4 that the 49ers had “conversations about” taking defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
According to Rosenblatt, Ulbrich and the 49ers “had a mutual interest in exploring a marriage.”
“Ultimately the Jets made it clear that they were not going to let Ulbrich leave,” Rosenblatt said. “Teams can block coaches under contract from taking jobs with other teams unless it is a promotion (from position coach to coordinator, or coordinator to head coach), which was not the case here.”
Ulbrich was “beloved” by his players and fellow coaches, according to Rosenblatt.
Reasons Ulbrich Thought About Leaving the Jets for the Offseason
On March 2, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Nick Sorensen, a defensive passing game specialist, was promoted by the 49ers to the position of defensive coordinator.
The 49ers conducted “due diligence” on a potential Ulbrich hire before making that choice. Rosenblatt claimed that although there were numerous discussions, the 49ers never formally asked him for an interview.
In the past, Ulbrich has expressed to the media his desire to one day lead an NFL team as a head coach. He hasn’t even gotten an interview yet, despite his success over the past few years with the Jets defense.
The Jets’ general inability to win could be one of the causes of that. Ulbrich’s outstanding performances have been overshadowed as a result.
Rosenblatt pointed out that Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, two of the previous three 49ers defensive coordinators, are now head coaches. In four of the previous five years, San Francisco has attended the NFC championship game at the very least. There have also been two trips to the Super Bowl during that time.
Ulbrich might have the best chance of fulfilling his dream of becoming an NFL head coach if he relocated from the East Coast to the West Coast.
“Ulbrich also had reasons beyond football to think about a move to San Francisco: He was born in the Bay Area (in San Jose), and played linebacker and special teams for the 49ers for 10 seasons,” Rosenblatt revealed.
Rosenblatt acknowledged there was no assurance Ulbrich would have left when the chips were down, but the Jets would have only allowed Ulbrich to go to San Francisco if they had received “draft compensation.”
Into the New, and Out of the Old
This offseason, the offensive side of the ball accounted for the majority of the Jets’ losses with regard to the coaching staff. Even though there was a noticeable amount of change, perhaps change is a good thing.
After one of the worst offensive seasons in franchise history, New York is coming off of it. The world can’t end with the loss of a few coaches who were in charge of that.
Still, the team’s superior defense served as its mainstay. It could have been disastrous for the green and white to lose the train’s conductor in Ulbrich.
Ulbrich was instead kept by Gang Green, extending the team’s winning streak. With Aaron Rodgers leading the way, this is an all-in season. He recently recovered from a very serious torn Achilles injury and is forty years old.
Perhaps he will start out as an anomaly and win the NFL MVP award four times in a row. History doesn’t seem to support that theory.
The Jets should prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. Put another way, Rodgers cannot succeed on his own and will require assistance. The ability of this outstanding Jets defense to continue playing at its highest level is the key to a deep playoff run. With Ulbrich playing for the Jets in 2024, the likelihood of that happening is much higher than not.