Jets interview interim coach Jeff Ulbrich for their head coach vacancy

Updated Jan. 13, 2025 4:51 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The New York Jets interviewed interim coach Jeff Ulbrich on Monday for their head coach vacancy.

Ulbrich, the team's defensive coordinator the past four seasons, went 3-9 after replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8.

The 47-year-old Ulbrich is the ninth known candidate to talk to the Jets about their coaching job. New York has also interviewed Darren Rizzi, Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Locksley, Mike Vrabel, Ron Rivera, Rex Ryan, Matt Nagy and Aaron Glenn for the position.

The Jets are also conducting interviews for their general manager spot, with the team already having spoken to 13 people for that position.

Ulbrich said last week after the Jets completed a disappointing 5-12 season that he expected to meet with owner Woody Johnson and the search committee about potentially getting the full-time job.

“It was a great honor,” Ulbrich said of coaching the team. “One of the great honors of my football career.”

The team had already begun conducting interviews with candidates while Ulbrich was coaching the last few games of the regular season — something he insisted wasn't awkward as he focused on preparing the players. He said he'd take some time to evaluate how he operated in the interim role.

“There’s things that I need to improve on and there’s things that I've got to take a critical look at myself and find the spaces where I can improve those,” he said. “I’m far from perfect and I’m excited about that opportunity to really, with a fine-tooth comb, evaluate every decision and everything I did in the last whatever it’s been, 10, 11 weeks.”

Ulbrich continued in his role as the defensive coordinator after taking over as the interim coach, stressing that he thought continuity was important for the players in a tough situation. But it's also something Ulbrich said he wouldn't do again if he gets a full-time head coaching opportunity.

“I would much rather have the ability to go from offense to defense to special teams,” he said. "There’s moments, especially on gameday, where I’m busy being a defensive coordinator where my resources might be better equipped at being the head coach, just at certain times within games. And there’s times definitely where being a head coach can get in the way of prepping for defense for me, and vice versa.

“So if I could build it perfect in a vision going forward, I would never — I would not be the coordinator and the head coach.”

Ulbrich, a linebacker and special teamer for San Francisco for 10 seasons, was part of Saleh's original staff in 2021. After his playing career ended, Ulbrich had stints as an assistant with Pete Carroll’s Seahawks and Jim L. Mora’s UCLA squad.

When Dan Quinn was hired by the Falcons in 2015, he tabbed Ulbrich as the linebackers coach. Atlanta made a coaching change in the middle of the 2020 season and interim coach Raheem Morris promoted Ulbrich to defensive coordinator.

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