Things change pretty quickly in the NFL. For example, although Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market right now, it was Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson who generated the most interest yesterday on Black Monday.
According to NFL Media's Jeff Darlington, the Miami Dolphins have requested an interview with Jackson for their head coaching position. Mike Silver, also of NFL Media, is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers have done so as well. Granted, the Dolphins appears to be casting the widest net of any team with a head coaching vacancy, but they remain a realistic landing spot. Finally, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Cleveland Browns have also requested a sit down with Jackson.
The 49ers have been heavily linked to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, but Albert Breer notes that if Payton and New Orleans choose to stick together for another year then Jackson will be at the top of their list. Both Jackson and San Fran general manager Trent Baalke worked together with the Washington Redskins in the early 2000s.
However, as we saw with Dan Quinn last year, several teams may be unwilling to wait until after the post-season to hire Jackson. Though Quinn landed with the Atlanta Falcons, there were a few teams who changed course due to Seattle's deep playoff run.
Cincinnati's failure to earn a first-round bye may hurt Jackson's chances on the open market this offseason, especially if the Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Assuming Cincy makes a run in the playoffs, the earliest Jackson could interview with a team would be the last week in January after the AFC Championship game. That's a long time to wait to start composing your staff and getting in gear for the offseason.
Jackson, 50, was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011. The team went 8-8 that year but Jackson was not retained. He has been with the Bengals since 2012 and been in charge of the team's offense for the past two seasons. In that time, Cincinnati finished the regular season ranked 15th in total offense both years.
