The Jets have shown over the last 24 hours that they have a wide array casted for who will be the organization’s next head coach and general manager with the offseason looming.
That search has now reached tri-state area natives, with the latest being Darren Rizzi, current interim head coach for the Saints.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Jets have reportedly requested to interview Rizzi, a Hillsdale, N.J. native and graduate of Bergen Catholic.
Rizzi was tabbed as the interim HC for New Orleans after head coach Dennis Allen was fired on Nov. 4 following the Saints losing a seventh consecutive game following a 2-0 start where they outscored their opponents 91-29.
He’s been with New Orleans for the last six seasons as their special teams coordinator. In 2022, the 54-year-old Rhode Island graduate was promoted to assistant head coach.
Rizzi started his coaching career in 1993 as a graduate assistant at Colgate, working his way up to head coach at the University of New Haven from 1998-2001 before coming back home to be the Rutgers’ special teams coordinator from 2002-07.
After spending a year as head coach at the University of Rhode Island in 2008, Rizzi made the jump one year later to the NFL, landing as an assistant special teams coach with the Miami Dolphins, staying with the organization until 2018 as the special teams coordinator and associate head coach before heading to New Orleans ahead of the 2019 season.
Rizzi finished 3-4 as the interim head coach with the Saints, winning three of his first four games before New Orleans lost four straight to end the year.
