Jet fans hoping that the firing of Eric Mangini would lead to the hiring of Bill Cowher will be disappointed to know that the former Steelers head coach will not be in green and white next year.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who rejected a chance to become head coach of the Browns last weekend, is not going to interview for the head coaching position of the New York Jets, according to multiple sources.

Cowher, according to a source, has been contacted by the Jets. Although he is interested in the Jets job, he told the team he would not be a candidate because he would like to bring in his own personnel director. Jets owner Woody Johnson plans to keep Mike Tannenbaum as his general manager after firing Eric Mangini as head coach Monday.

With Tannenbaum as the general manager, Cowher is willing to pass on the Jets opportunity, stay in broadcasting for another year and wait to return to coaching in 2010.

Cowher has told friends the Jets job interested him for several reasons. First, Cowher would love to coach in the New York market. Second, two of his daughters are either going to school or working in the New York-New Jersey area.

Cowher does plan to coach in 2010. In 2009, though, he was only willing to return if every situation was right for him. He wanted to have a two-year break from coaching to be with family and recharge.

I think several hundred Jet fans just dove head first off the Hudson Bridge.

Maybe Johnson can convince Tannenbaum to take another position within the front office and then give Cowher complete control. Although to be fair, Tennenbaum has landed D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold and Leon Washington in recent drafts, so he’s not a complete dud as a general manager. (Of course his latest first round pick, Vernon Gholston, looks like a complete bust considering he was inactive for most of the season because he can’t learn the playbook.)

The Jets will probably wind up with one of the hot coordinators considering they already have a GM. Like Cowher, one would think that Marty Schottenheimer would want complete control as well, so I bet he passes on the Jets too if offered the position.

UPDATE: The Daily News is reporting that Cowher and the Jets will now sit down to discuss the team’s head coaching vacancy. There’s hope yet Jet fans.