FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) -The New York Jets fired coach Eric Mangini on Monday, a day after the team failed to make the playoffs.
The Jets started the season 8-3 under quarterback Brett Favre, but went 1-4 in their final five games and did not reach the postseason for the second straight year despite a massive offseason spending spree.
The 37-year-old Mangini was 23-26 in three seasons in his first head coaching job. He had another year remaining on his contract.
The Jets were in first place in the AFC East before fading in the stretch, with Favre failing to rally the team that obtained him in a trade before the season. Favre had just two touchdown passes and nine interceptions in the last five games.
“For the current New York Jets organization, we’ve made the decision to move on,” owner Woody Johnson said at a news conference Monday morning. “It’s a judgment call.
nothing specific. It’s just a call we made. Hopefully, it’s correct.”
Johnson said the final decision was made Sunday night but that the process had been going on a long time.
“We met with the coach this morning,” Johnson said. “We thanked him for all the good things he had done for us, we thanked him for his dedication and his loyalty. But he understood.”
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum praised Mangini, saying he did not think he had lost the team.
“Again, Eric has left a really good foundation here, and we’re looking forward to building on that foundation,” Tannenbaum said.
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