It is almost certain that the Jets' season finale against the Patriots on Sunday will be Todd Bowles last game as head coach for New York. But he can't focus on that at the moment.
Instead, he's leaving the "what-ifs" aside to hopefully finish another rough season on a high note.
"I don't have time for the 'what-ifs' right now," Bowles said after practice on Wednesday. "The games come too quickly every week. We don't have enough time for me to stand up here and tell everything I've learned this year. You learn a long list of things as a coach every year, every game."
Over his four years as head coach for Gang Green, there hasn't been much positive Bowles can reflect on. After a 10-6 season that didn't see the Jets make the playoffs, he has seen back-to-back 5-11 squads in 2016 and 2017. And if the Jets lose on Sunday, which is expected on the road in Foxborough, he will have his worst season at 4-12.
Of course, Bowles has a rebuilding squad with rookie QB Sam Darnold at the helm, so losing is expected.
"Our record is what it is," Bowles said. "You don't try to clean up spilled milk once it's spilled. You just clean it up. So you try to win the next game and move on. I won't look back on my coaching career until I'm retired and sitting in a rocking chair somewhere."
Whether or not head coaching is in Bowles' immediate future is a toss up after his recent years with the Jets. But before his begins to think about his own free agency, Bowles and the Jets have a game to play.
Darnold spoke about going up against Tom Brady to cap the season, and CB Trumaine Johnson addresses his "in-house matter" that kept him out of practice Wednesday...