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The Jets made a unique decision to hire the head coach before the General Manager.
It really doesn’t matter what you or I think about that, because NFL teams are benevolent dictatorships, and only one person’s opinion matters and that is the owner, and you can’t vote them out.
So this is how Woody Johnson handled the order – go with the coach first and then hire the GM.
Over the next few years, we will find out if this plan was good based on whether the team breaks their 14-year playoff draught.
The Jets GM job is a tough one because the owner and some of his advisors are reportedly very involved in the purse strings of the football operation.
“[Woody] wants to itemize and nitpick and line item everything that goes on,” said former NFL GM Mike Lombardi after Joe Douglas was fired in November. “‘You are not replacing that scout, I don’t want you to do that.'”
Remember, last year when the Jets eliminated the assistant GM position along with three positions in the sports science department?
And the involvement of the owners isn’t just related to staffing cuts, but perhaps also related to player personnel decisions.
Early in the season, Lombardi said during the Hasson Reddick holdout – [Woody] runs the team,” Lombardi said. “The reason Haason Reddick isn’t there is because Woody is saying to Joe Douglas I’m no giving you anymore money for him. That’s it. So whoever you have to go to the owner for money your really not the GM.
“Joe Douglas is sitting there making $6 million a year and he’s really just the director of college scouting.”
Look, Woody can handle this however he would like. NFL teams are no democracies. He paid $635 million for the team, and it’s his baby.
But some would argue that the heavy involvement of the owners and his money consultant may make this GM job a position that isn’t for everybody. Just like any job opening, you need to find the right fit.
Also, it’s possible that after having to throw a truckload of money at Aaron Glenn to get him to sign on the dotted line, it’s impacting the budget for the GM job.
Several insiders thought the job was going to Washington Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark when he and Glenn went for their second interviews on Tuesday, but while the Glenn signing happened a day later, still nothing with Newmark.
With two young executives, both 39, getting serious consideration, Denver’s Darren Mougey and Cincinnati’s Trey Brown, it doesn’t seem they are looking to break the bank on the GM job.
What happened with Newmark? Some of the insiders, who are often spoonfed stuff by agents, reported that it looked like Glenn and Newmark were going to be the Jets’ new HC/GM tandem. The way some of them reported it, it looked like it was fait accompli.
A couple of things to consider. With the money, remember, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, a hedge fund guy, who now owns the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia 76ers and Commanders, is worth $11.2 billion according to Forbes.
So he can afford to pay Newmark good money to stay put.
Secondly, it’s possible, that Glenn, who seemed to have all the leverage with the Jets, after somebody leaked they “didn’t want him to leave the building” on Tuesday, his second interview, might have been able to get the final say on the roster.
If that happened, that also might have made the GM job a little less appealing to certain candidates.
Some would argue that if you hire a first-time head coach, you should team him with a veteran GM. While Newmark has never been a GM, he has a lot more experience in the league than Mougey and Brown.
But perhaps when you pay Glenn a king’s ransom to be your coach, you don’t want to pay a king’s ransom for the GM spot, like they did with Douglas.
However, the bottom line is this – this job isn’t for everybody.
Just like any job – there are good fits and bad fits for any position.
Update – Josina Anderson announced the Jets are hiring Mougey.
January 24, 2025
