Report: Jets’ Ulbrich had “mutual interest” in 49ers D.C. job
FLORHAM PARK, NJ - AUGUST 01: Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich speaks after training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on August 1, 2022 in Florham Park, New Jersey.
New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had a mutual interest in returning to San Francisco to become their defensive coordinator, a lateral move the Jets were never going to let happen according to Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
The story confirms a rumor that had been bandied about for weeks that Ulbrich would be a dark horse candidate, but nothing came of it. The 49ers instead named Nick Sorensen their new defensive coordinator.
“There was a mutual interest in exploring a marriage, according to multiple league sources, but ultimately the Jets made it clear that they were not going to let Ulbrich leave. Teams can block coaches under contract from takin jobs with other teams unless it is a promotion from (from position coach to coordinator or coordinator to head coach) which was not the case here,” Rosenbaltt reports.
While there never a formal request to interview the Jets D.C., Ulbrich has ties to San Fran. He was born in the Bay Area, and played his entire NFL playing career with San Francisco.
“The Jets likely would have required draft compensation from the 49ers to let him go, though there’s no guarantee Ulbrich would have even ultimately wanted to leave,” the report continues.
NFL Off-Season
The report comes as the NFL Draft process and off-season have fully kicked into high gear. Free agency begins officially next Monday, March 11.
The Jets have been busy already this off-season. Already a number of coaches and staff members have left the team including running backs coach Taylor Embree, and wide receiver’s coach Zach Azzanni. Quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese also left for the LA Rams staff. Internally, the Jets said good bye to Assistant GM Rex Hogan and Chad Alexander. Alexander got a promotion with the LA Chargers.
Zach Wilson
Meanwhile, GM Joe Douglas stated last week that back-up quarterback Zach Wilson is on the market to get traded.
There is legitimate question as to what the Jets could get back for the struggling signal caller. There is a $5.4 million cap hit attached to Wilson for any team that takes him, and the Jets are not expected to get a whole lot back in return.
Meanwhile Douglas will be busy scouring free agency for offensive line help, wide receiver, and very like a veteran backup quarterback.
MORE JETS
Celebrate Darryl Strawberry's Birthday With These Highlights
Darryl Strawberry celebrates his 62nd birthday on March 12th.
Darryl Eugene Strawberry was born on March 12th, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. Strawberry played baseball at Crenshaw High School before being drafted first overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 MLB draft. He worked his way through the Mets minor league system before debuting on the major league team in May of 1983. That year, he hit a .257 average with 26 home runs,7 triples, and 74 RBIs, earning him the National League’s Rookie of The Year title. The following year he began his streak of 8 consecutive All-Star game appearances and hit 26 home runs with 97 RBIs.
At the same time, the Mets had built one of the best teams in the National League, with Strawberry being one of the highlights, earning his likeness used for action figures, posters, and banners. In 1986, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, with Strawberry getting 5 hits, 4 runs in both series, and a combined 3 home runs including an 8th inning, lead-extending bomb in game 7 of the World Series. That same year Strawberry also won the Home Run Derby and finished the season with a .259 batting average. The following year, he hit a career-high 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, earning himself a spot in the 30-30 club, with his home run total being 5th highest in the MLB that year. In 1988, he hit 39 more home runs, leading the National League and was only second to Jose Canseco’s 42 home runs, while leading the league with his slugging percentage and OPS at .545 and .911 and came in a very close second in the MVP voting.
At the end of the 1990 season, Strawberry was released by the Mets and signed by the LA Dodgers where he was successful, even being compared to Hank Aaron thanks to his 280 home runs at only 29 years old, before injuries and other personal issues kept him off the field for most of the next two years. After being released by the Dodgers in 1994, the San Francisco Giants signed him but didn’t get much playing time, this was quickly followed by signing with the New York Yankees in 1995 and then with the Triple-A Saint Paul Saints in 1996 to attempt to get back into form, which he quickly did, landing him back on the Yankees that same year. After returning to the Yankees, he, alongside former Mets teammates Dwight Gooden and David Cone, helped the team defeat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. In 1998 he helped the Yankees win another World Series title despite suffering from abdominal pain for months and had a limited 1999 season that included his final home run against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS on the Yankees’ road to defeat the Braves in the World Series once again.
Since his time on the field, Strawberry has worked with the Mets on and off as an instructor as well as an anchor for pre- and post-game shows, regularly appears at the New York Yankees’ Old Timer’s Day, opened his own restaurant, and is set to have his number retired, alongside Dwight Gooden, by the Mets this April.
Michael Cohen is the News and Sports Director at Fox Sports Radio New Jersey and Magic 98.3 FM, as well as a radio production assistant with Fox and Magic in New Jersey. He started his career in Somerset in 2018 initially as a news fill-in at WCTC 1450 AM, and soon moved up to higher responsibilities in the ensuing years, assuming News & Sports Director title in 2021Prior to his time with Fox Sports New Jersey, Michael was play-by-play voice for New Jersey Jackals baseball, and as well as play-by-play and color for the College of Staten Island basketball (men and women), softball and baseball. Michael began his career as a news and sportswriter with the Jersey Journal of Hudson County.
