The Jets have a quarterbacks coach but no clarity on who he will be coaching.
Bill Musgrave, a well-traveled assistant coach with six stints as an NFL offensive coordinator since 1998, was hired Tuesday as quarterbacks coach under head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Musgrave was the Browns quarterbacks coach last season.
The Jets also announced the additions of assistant quarterbacks coach Thomas Merkle, assistant offensive line coach Al Netter and offensive assistant Matthew Sargeant. The previously reported hires of tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts and pass-game coordinator Seth Ryan — Rex Ryan’s son — were made official.
Musgrave, a former NFL quarterback who backed up Steve Young and John Elway in the 1990s, was hired as a coach by the Eagles immediately after his playing days ended in 1998. He was promoted to offensive coordinator before the end of that season and has held that same title over the last 25 years for the Panthers (1999-2000), Jaguars (2003-04), Vikings (2011-13), Raiders (2015-16) and Broncos (2017-18).
Kevin Stefanski added Musgrave to his staff as a senior offensive assistant in 2023 and elevated him to quarterbacks coach last season. That means Musgrave oversaw the messy depth chart that included Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Not that he is stepping into an easy situation with the Jets.
Justin Fields is under contract but did not perform well last season prior to his benching and season-ending knee injury. Fields was singled out as the reason for many of the offensive shortcomings by owner Woody Johnson.
If the Jets are willing to eat a $22 million dead salary-cap charge, Fields could be a cap casualty.
Tyrod Taylor is a free agent after a two-year stint as the backup.
Brady Cook went 0-4 with two touchdowns and seven interceptions as an undrafted rookie who clearly was not ready to play.
The Jets parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand and brought in Reich, who prefers sturdily built pass-first quarterbacks. Musgrave has never worked with Reich — despite their similar career trajectories and time periods — or Glenn.
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around when it comes to analytics numbers and percentages and things like that,” former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said of Musgrave in 2018. “He’s one of the smartest people that I’ve ever been around.”
Journeyman Case Keenum agreed with Carr at that same time, according to 9News in Denver.
“Bill is as smart as they come,’’ Keenum said. “He’s brilliant and I really appreciate his knowledge of the game and how he explains, installs and teaches us the game.
“He does a great job of teaching us the game and he sees it through a quarterback’s eyes, which I really like, having a coordinator who played at quarterback and knows what we’re going through.”
Keenum is a free agent after spending last season with the Bears. Carr is retired but there has been buzz that he might be looking to return in 2026.