The New York Jets got a head start on their search for a new head coach last week by bringing in Mike Vrabel and Ron Rivera for interviews, but their strategy reportedly didn’t sit right with many in the building.

According to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, “Multiple team sources said that some coaches were unhappy with candidates being in the building while interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was running things — Vrabel and Rivera were essentially interviewing to replace him.”

Ulbrich was promoted from defensive coordinator to interim head coach when Robert Saleh was fired after the Jets’ 2-3 start. Unfortunately, he was unable to turn things around as New York finished the year with a 5-12 record and missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the longest active streak in all four major North American men’s sports leagues.

Still, many players spoke highly of Ulbrich and continued to play hard for him until the very end. The Jets won their regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins 32-20 in one of their best offensive performances of the year.

Despite being well-liked, Ulbrich’s 3-9 record as the interim head coach won’t bode well for his chances to get a head coaching job this hiring cycle. Perhaps he will be able to return to his roots as a defensive coordinator and get back to doing what he does best in 2025.

The Jets are considering a lengthy list of coaching candidates as they try to put an end to their decade-plus run of futility.