National Football League

Eric Mangini doesn't rule out a return as head coach of the New York Jets

Updated Nov. 25, 2024 9:38 p.m. ET

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The New York Jets will be hiring a new head coach this upcoming offseason after firing Robert Saleh in October. But what if they decide to bring back a former head coach?

Nick Wright, for one, is all-in on FOX Sports analyst Eric Mangini going back to the Jets, where he coached from 2006-2008. On Monday's episode of "First Things First," the co-host asked Coach Mangini about a possible return to the NFL after The Athletic's Dianna Russini suggested he'd make a great fit. "Alongside GM Mike Tannenbaum, Mangini helped assemble one of the strongest rosters the franchise has ever had," Russini wrote.

"Do you want to be the next Jets head coach?" Wright asked Mangini directly.

He replied with a laugh, "Look, it would make sense because I just sold my house in New Jersey. Once you sell a house, you get a job. Once you buy a house, you get fired."

"If you want to take the smart, hardworking, competitive, selfless guy that football's important to, filled with guys going to the Ring of Honor, I mean, you could make that case," Mangini added.

Mangini then went on to point out two offensive linemen he helped draft, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, are members of the Jets' Ring of Honor. So is Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis, the team's first-round pick in 2007.

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Mangini made history as the youngest head coach in the NFL at 35 when he was hired by the Jets. In his first season, the team went 10-6, followed by a 4-12 season in 2007. The team released Mangini in December 2008, one day after their 9-7 season ended.

On Monday, the Jets announced that Tannenbaum will assist the franchise in its search for a new head coach and general manager. If Tannenbaum tries to lure Mangini back, then his co-workers at FOX Sports would understand.

"I hope to work with you for the rest of my career, but if we don't work together anymore because you're the coach of the New York Jets, man oh man, that would be awesome," Wright told Mangini.

The Jets are currently 3-8 and have a shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They will host the 6-5 Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, with kickoff set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. 

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Nick Wright

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