Could Belichick take Jets job before Philadelphia's possibly opens?

Ben Brigandi

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Could Belichick take Jets job before Philadelphia's possibly opens? image

Is Robert Saleh’s firing no goodie for Philadelphia Eagles fans who want The Hoodie? 

Despite talk of Nick Sirianni, or his predecessor Doug Pederson, being the first NFL head coach to be fired this season, Tuesday saw Saleh become the first casualty of the fall. 

While the Jets promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach, it’s not only easy to see them looking elsewhere for a more permanent replacement, but perhaps a win-now head coach for 40-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the NFL’s 27th-ranked offense. And no one would be more inclined to win now than Belichick, 72, should he leave the “ManningCast” and “Lets Go” among other media appearances and take over the franchise he spurned a generation ago.

@nyfootballjets Belichick famously quit as head coach of the Jets in 2000 before ever coaching a game. #ny #nyjets #pats #football #jets #patriots ♬ original sound - NY Football Jets

If the Jets act now, that could be a problem for another team built to win now — the Eagles. They’re not, but that could change quick. 

Sirianni and his players are coming out of their only bye at 2-2 with a game Sunday at home vs. Cleveland and alternating wins and losses through four games. The slow start has Philadelphia 1.5 games out of first place in the NFC East, yet still the odds-on favorite to win the division and likelier than not to make the playoffs. You can attribute that on reputation from being preseason favorites and two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance. Also their next four opponents — Cleveland, Cincinnati, the New York Giants, and Jacksonville — all have losing records and are a combined 5-15. 

Going 4-0 in that stretch before a Nov. 10 game at Dallas would be great for Sirianni’s short-term job security, going 3-1 would be OK, but losing more than one of those games could force a decision on his future. 

Those four weeks could also buy the Jets some time to lure Belichick first, whom some Eagles fans have wanted all along. 

And if Sirianni stays, there are even those who wouldn’t mind seeing Saleh join his staff. 

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Ben Brigandi

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Ben Brigandi is a lifelong professional in sports media, as a writer and editor. Career highlights include covering future pros in high school and even younger, from kicker Robbie Gould in high school to Jurickson Profar, Cody Bellinger, and others at the Little League World Series held in his neighborhood. Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Ben graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism and covered Nittany Lion games for nearly two decades after attending games as a kid growing up in Happy Valley. He’s seen the Eagles go from hated rivals to his boyhood favorite Washington Commanders to accepting their success as Dan Snyder ruined his fandom. One day, Ben dreams of again playing golf to a legit single-digit handicap, without either putting in the work or sinking pesky 3-foot putts.