Adam Gase could have more than his job status on his mind when the Jets host the Broncos on Thursday night.
The Jets head coach will face off against one of his former teams, and there’s a little bit of bad blood. Three years ago, in his second season as Dolphins head coach, Gase tried to run up the score against the Broncos. Already up 33-9, he successfully executed an onside kick, a parting shot for John Elway.
Gase served as the Broncos wide receivers coach from 2009-12 before being promoted to offensive coordinator from 2013-14. He helped Peyton Manning reach new heights but ultimately the team’s offense was embarrassed in a 43-8 loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Gase stayed on in 2014 but didn’t end up getting the Broncos head coaching job when John Fox was fired. He also didn’t receive the 49ers job, one that many thought he had in the bag.
According to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero, Gase was under the impression that Elway bad-mouthed him to then-49ers GM Trent Baalke. As Salguero reported, Gase wasn’t upset at the time because he believed Elway was doing this in part to hire him as the next head coach of the Broncos. That didn’t happen. Denver’s opening went to Gary Kubiak.
Gase was left with a bitter taste in his mouth, as he was rejected for not one, but two head coach openings in 2014. Now, with rumors swirling around his status in New York, Gase may have one last chance to stick it to Elway.