NFL

New Jets coordinator Mornhinweg and GM have work cut out for them

It’s no secret what the biggest task facing new Jets general manager John Idzik is: Fix an offense that finished 30th in the NFL last season, and do it with very little flexibility under the salary cap.

The Jets got started on that task minutes after Idzik officially took the job when the team hired Marty Mornhinweg as its new offensive coordinator, according to a source.

Mornhinweg brings with him a West Coast offense that will be pass-first and wide open — a departure from the Ground and Pound style that used to be championed by head coach Rex Ryan and was implemented last year by Tony Sparano.

Mornhinweg has spent the past 10 seasons as an Eagles assistant, the last seven as offensive coordinator under Andy Reid, who gave Mornhinweg primary play-calling duties in 2006. Since then, the Eagles’ offense has finished no lower than 15th in yards per game in the NFL — their passing offense has not finished lower than 13th. Both of those came this past season when the Eagles finished 4-12. Mornhinweg had five top-10 finishes in those seven years. The Jets, on the other hand, have not had a top 10 offense since 1998.

What Mornhinweg will find when he travels a few hours up I-95 is the Jets do not have any offensive weapons like DeSean Jackson or LeSean McCoy. The Jets offense had a dearth of dominant players at skill positions this year, which ultimately cost GM Mike Tannenbaum his job.

The immediate focus is going to be on solving the quarterback problem. Four-year starter Mark Sanchez ended up losing his job in December to second-year quarterback Greg McElroy. Sanchez has a career completion percentage of 55.1, way too low for a quarterback in a West Coast system who is asked to make precise timing throws.

Sanchez’s $8.25 million guaranteed salary and the lofty cap hit that would come with cutting him means he probably will be on the roster this year. The expectation is Idzik will bring in another quarterback through a trade, free agency or the draft to compete with Sanchez for the starting job.

The immediate speculation is going to focus on Seahawks’ backup quarterback Matt Flynn, because of Idzik’s familiarity with him. Idzik spent the past six years as Seattle’s vice president of football administration and negotiated Flynn’s three-year, $26 million contract last year. With the emergence of Russell Wilson, the Seahawks are expected to shop Flynn around.

There will also be chatter about the Jets having interest in the Eagles’ Michael Vick because of Mornhinweg’s work with him over the last four years. The Eagles are expected to release Vick shortly after the Super Bowl to avoid paying him any of the $15.5 million he is due next season.

Both Flynn and Vick, along with 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, seem unrealistic for the Jets because of their salary cap issues. Even after making roster cuts to get under the cap, the Jets will not have much to spend and a lot of positions to fill. The Jets could have as many as 12 new starters next year.

Cheaper veterans are more realistic targets, including Matt Moore, Tavaris Jackson, Jason Campbell or David Garrard. The Jets also could decide to draft a quarterback in the second or third round. It is unlikely they would use their first-round (No. 9 overall) pick on a quarterback with the lack of elite passers in this year’s draft.

With free-agency losses, the Jets also could be in the market for a starting running back, guard and tight end on offense.

Idzik and Mornhinweg won’t have much of a honeymoon in their new jobs.