Former New York Jets receivers coach Zach Azzanni left East Rutherford to take a similar role with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the team selected Shawn Jefferson to replace him.
The New York Jets have finished switching around their receivers coach.
According to NJ.com, former coach Zach Azzanni has joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in the same role, less than two weeks after the team hired former Jets wide receiver and coach Shawn Jefferson to mentor their receivers for the upcoming season.
Before moving to New York, Azzanni coached the Denver Broncos for five seasons. He was only with the Jets for one season. The team’s pass-catchers suffered under Azzanni’s coaching because of subpar quarterback play and inadequate talent management. Pro Football Focus actually had them ranked 31st out of 32 NFL clubs. Star receiver Garrett Wilson was the exception to the rule, hauling in 95 passes for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns.
The other players on the Jets’ positional depth chart, most notably Allen Lazard, who signed a four-year, $44 million contract with New York last offseason, failed to make a significant impact. Lazard only recorded 23 receptions for 311 yards and one score.
The Jets chose to bring back Jefferson, who worked with Adam Gase as the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the team for two seasons (2019–20), when Azzanni was still under contract. Over the previous eighteen years, Jefferson has served as an NFL coach for five different clubs, including the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and most recently, the Carolina Panthers. He also held the position with the Jets.
Apart from Azzanni’s exit, Chad Alexander, the previous director of player personnel, has also moved to the west coast and left the “green” side of the Meadowlands. According to Connor Hughes of SNY, Alexander, who played five seasons with the Jets, will take over as assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Chargers. He will report to new general manager Joe Hortiz and work with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
