Frank Reich Wasting No Time Proving He Was NFL's Best Offseason Hire

It wasn't too long ago when Frank Reich's career in the NFL seemed to be over.

An illustrious career as a backup quarterback turned quickly to a successful coaching tenure. But after back-to-back losing seasons with the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts, it seemed the 64-year-old was done for good.

Even when Reich returned to the game as offensive coordinator of the New York Jets there was concern. As an older play-caller, there was trepidation that his scheme had become archaic across the modern looks offenses give.

After one week on the job, though, one thing is perfectly clear: Reich is quickly becoming the Jets' best offseason hire, and across the NFL as well.

Reich system finds immediate success

Reich's gameplan last week against Tennessee was simple. It applied the same principles that he has kept through decades in the league.

"It's about the players," he said Thursday. "They're going to make it right... I feel we're in a really good spot coming off a game in which we played winning football and put a lot of good things on tape that we feel good about."

Reich's point on winning football is an understatement. New York controlled the time of possession by an almost 2:1 margin, very rare across the NFL. They also ran for 152 yards and didn't turn the ball over at all.

What the group showed beyond just the on-field success, though, was a cohesion that had been missing from the Jets offense for years. That continues to be another calling card of the Reich system at work.

"He (Reich) has a ton of experience, he has a great feel for the game," Geno Smith said. "He understands his players and what our strengths are, and he does his best to always put us in the right position to make plays."

Sunday showed the veteran play-caller was still looking for ways to innovate. New York was the only team who used a five-tight-end offensive alignment during Sunday's contest. They also used motion at a high clip to spring several touchdowns loose including their first of the game to Kenyon Sadiq on an end-around.

New York's offense has plenty of talent, but it is how the coaching staff employs that talent that separates them from past seasons. And in that regard, Reich has used one saying from his quarterback to keep moving forward.

No bad plays

It's natural in the coaching world to be filled with regret. A bad play-call could win or lose a ballgame, after all.

In the case of Reich, the Jets play-caller always wants certain calls back. It's something he shared in his conversation with reporters on Thursday. But off that regret, one message from Smith has carried the day for the aging coordinator.

"Geno looked at me and he said, 'Coach, there are no bad plays. Every call on that sheet you give us, we're going to make it work,'" Reich said.

It takes a supreme level of confidence between quarterback and coach to be able to say that. It's even more so to be able to execute at as high a level as the Jets did in Week 1. But if the team is going to continue to build off their early season success, that mantra will need to remain.

"My experience is when the players have that attitude, just give us the call, there are no bad calls on that call sheet, we're going to make it work, that's what we're paid to do," Reich said. "Those are the best teams I've been on."

Reich has been the head coach on multiple playoff teams. He's also been a coordinator on a Super Bowl-winning team as well. It's too early to tell where the 2026 Jets fall on the scale of Reich's "best teams he's been on," but it's clear confidence is at an all-time high with this group.

And it's because of Reich that the organization feels they came away with the best hire of the offseason.

"Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure," Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said when the team first hired Reich. "Frank understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players. I am looking forward to how he will help this team have success."

So far, that success has been quantified as the best of the offseason.

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