Carolina officials on Tuesday sought and were granted permission to discuss their head coach job with Cottrell. It marked the 2nd consecutive day in which the Jets granted permission to talk to Cottrell, who will meet with Colts officials by the end of this week.
An 18-year league veteran, Cottrell moved to the Jets staff in 2001 after spending 7 years on the Buffalo Bills staff, the last three of those seasons as DC. His defense led the NFL this season in takeaway/turnover differential and Cottrell was key in making a critical switch at midseason from a "cover two" scheme to a "cover three" alignment.