Wednesday came and went, and the Jets are still without a head coach.
Robert Saleh, the sought-after 49ers defensive coordinator, met with Jets CEO Christopher Johnson and team president Hymie Elhai on Wednesday after spending time with general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday.
Because Saleh was the first, among the nine candidates with whom the Jets did video interviews, to be brought to their facility for an in-person second interview, there was some breathless anticipation among fans that Johnson would not let him leave the building without a contract.
But the Jets, who said from the start of this process they planned to cast a “wide net’’ in search of their next head coach, want to bring more candidates in for in-person second interviews.
It’s possible Saleh — who already has interviewed with the Falcons, Lions, Chargers and Jaguars and was reportedly on his way later Wednesday to meet with the Eagles — might be the Jets’ first choice, but wants to complete his own process to find the best fit for himself.
Whatever the case, the question now is this: Who’s the next candidate the Jets will bring in for a visit?
Among the nine coaches they initially interviewed, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who had a second interview with the Falcons Wednesday, reportedly was on his way for a dinner with Jets officials Wednesday night. It also is believed Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is a likely second-interview candidate.
The Bills are playing in Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game on Saturday, so Daboll cannot visit or be hired until Buffalo’s season is over. Smith’s Titans were eliminated from the postseason last weekend and is free, so it makes sense he would be the next candidate for an in-person interview.
Other candidates who are not involved in the playoffs and free to visit include Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady and former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.
The candidates, in addition to Daboll, who are still in the playoffs and not yet available to meet in person or be hired are Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and Saints defensive backs coach and former Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn.
Doug Pederson, who was fired by the Eagles on Monday, is a wild card in this process for a couple of reasons: He and Douglas worked together in Philadelphia and have a good relationship, and Pederson is just three years removed from winning a Super Bowl.
So Pederson has a been-there, done-that element. He, too, carries some baggage that is perhaps too fresh for Jets fans to discount — most notably the deplorable tanking job he orchestrated in the season finale against Washington and his fractured relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz, with whom ownership sided.
So, despite the fact Pederson has better credentials than anyone on the Jets’ nine-man list, he may be a hard sell to the fans.
It’s not known whether there’s a plan to bring in Pederson or whether Douglas has even spoken to him about the job.
None of the seven teams that have head-coaching vacancies have made a hire yet.
Of course, the coaches the Jets are believed to be most interested in appear to the hottest commodities. Just their luck. Smith has drawn interest from all seven teams. Bieniemy has six teams interested, and Brady and Saleh have five.
So, there’s balance here. The Jets want to be thorough and stay true to their “wide net’’ plan, but they also don’t want to lose out on the coach they covet most to another team.
That’s why, by day’s end Wednesday with no deal done, there was some hand-wringing from expectant fans who wanted them to hire Saleh yesterday.
