Chan Gailey Retires, 5 Assistants Leave Jets: Latest Comments, Reaction

The New York Jets are bringing back head coach Todd Bowles in 2017, but his coaching staff will look different, with six vacancies to fill.

Per Eric Allen of the Jets' official website, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey announced his retirement Tuesday, and five other assistants will not be coming back next season. 

Quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, running backs coach Marcel Shipp, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, outside linebackers coach Mark Collins and defensive backs coach Joe Danna are the five coaches who will not return.

Gailey issued a statement, included in Allen's report, noting he informed Bowles about his plans to retire before the 2016 season:

"

I thought it was best to tell him early, so that he could begin to think about how he would move the team forward on offense. While we did not have the season we all wanted to have, I think there are some great people here at the Jets and in the New York/New Jersey area. I wish them all the best moving forward.

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The 64-year-old Gailey has been coaching at the college or NFL level since 1974, when he was a graduate assistant at Florida. He served as an NFL head coach for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, posting a 34-46 record in five seasons, with two playoff appearances for the Cowboys.

The Jets had high expectations coming into 2016 after posting a 10-6 record the previous year, but things quickly fell apart en route to a 5-11 finish.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, with the offense scoring the third-fewest points; the defense finished 28th in points allowed. 

New York's next offensive coordinator has a tall task ahead. There's no clear answer at quarterback, and the Jets have an aging stable of running backs, including Matt Forte (31 years old) and Bilal Powell (28). The team owns the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NFL draft in April.