It didn’t take long for DraftKings to post odds on who the next New York Jets’ head coach will be, but one coach listed might catch the eye of SEC fans.
The Jets fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday. Not long after, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was betting to land the big job. He’s getting +300 odds.
Among the others on the list is Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who is listed at 14/1.
On the surface and based on his success in Athens, it shouldn’t surprise anyone he is on any type of list of potential NFL coaching candidates.
However, there are at least two reasons why the jump to the NFL is unlikely.
The first is that he is where he wants to be. During his time as the Alabama defensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2008-2015, his name always surfaced for potential head coaching jobs in college. He was, of course, the top defensive coordinator in the country, but he was waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity was - and is - Georgia, the team he played for.
The second reason is financial.
Smart just started a 10-year, $130 million contract that runs through 2033. His $13 million a year tops college football, $1.5 more than Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. Saleh, on the other hand, earned $5 million a year with the Jets.
Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets, who are trying to snap the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 13 seasons. The move marks the first time in Jets owner Woody Johnson’s 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during the season.
