The word has been circulating for weeks now around the NFL that John Idzik is out as the general manager of the Jets. This week, it became clear Idzik will be fired Monday when it surfaced Jets owner Woody Johnson has lined up Charley Casserly to serve as a consultant in the rebuilding of his franchise.
Now, the question is: Where do the Jets go from here?
This is unlike two years ago when Idzik was hired. Back then, the Jets job was unattractive because of Johnson’s insistence on keeping Rex Ryan as coach, a bad salary-cap situation and Johnson’s desire to trade Darrelle Revis.
This time around, the Jets’ job looks like a good one. The new GM is going to be able to hire a coach, have more than $40 million in salary-cap space that needs to be spent to hit the CBA-stated minimum and possibly a top-5 draft pick.
After speaking with a number of league executives, agents and observers, I have come up with a list of possible candidates. I divided the list up into categories.
The hot names
These are the guys everyone will be calling:
Chris Ballard, Chiefs director of player personnel: No one’s name comes up more than Ballard’s when you ask people about talent evaluators. Tampa Bay was interested in him last year.
Nick Caserio, Patriots director of player personnel: Some question whether he would leave New England to go to the rival Jets. But he interviewed with the Dolphins last year before turning down their offer.
Lake Dawson, Titans VP of player personnel: He has been a candidate for several jobs and actually turned the Dolphins GM job last year, reportedly because Miami would not give him full control.
Ryan Pace, Saints director of player personnel: The Saints denied the Dolphins permission to interview Pace last year for their GM opening. Saints GM Mickey Loomis called Pace “our secret.”
Duke Tobin, Bengals director of player personnel: The Bengals have assembled a very talented roster that is heading to the playoffs again. Tobin played a big role in that.
Worth another look
Before hiring Idzik, the Jets talked to a number of candidates. Here are a few that the Jets could revisit this time:
Eric DeCosta, Ravens assistant GM: He was one of the first calls the Jets made in 2013, but he passed on even interviewing. He is the heir apparent to Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore and seems content to wait.
Brian Gaine, Texans director of pro personnel: A former Jets player and scout, Gaine is from Rockland County and this would be a homecoming job for him. A Bill Parcells disciple, Gaine was a finalist for the Dolphins job last year.
Tom Gamble, Eagles VP of player personnel: Gamble was one of the first candidates interviewed in 2013. He played a role in the 49ers’ turnaround and is now finding players for Chip Kelly. Many believe he will join Jim Harbaugh if Harbaugh takes an NFL coaching job.
Tom Heckert, Broncos director of pro personnel: Former Browns GM took his name out of the running with the Jets in 2013 because he wanted to hire his own coach. Has been John Elway’s right-hand man in Denver. Must answer questions about a 2013 DUI arrest.
Omar Khan, Steelers director of football administration: The runner-up to Idzik in 2013, the 37-year-old also interviewed in Miami last year. Khan is Pittsburgh’s chief contract negotiator. The Jets might want to avoid hiring someone without a personnel background after the Idzik experience.
Former GMs
For some reason general managers rarely get second chances in the NFL. Here are a few that might:
Mark Dominik, ESPN analyst: The former Buccaneers GM missed on a first-round quarterback in Josh Freeman and hired Greg Schiano as coach, two moves he could not overcome.
Scot McCloughlan, personnel consultant: As 49ers GM, he laid a foundation for the team’s recent success. He went to the Seahawks in 2010 and played a huge role in building their roster. Seen as one of the best talent evaluators in the sport, but he has battled a drinking problem.
Scott Pioli, Falcons assistant GM: The former Chiefs GM is a New York native who worked for the Jets under Bill Parcells, his father-in-law. His time in Kansas City was marked by off-field drama and paranoia in the building, but he left a solid roster behind.
Wild cards
Another few intriguing names:
Mike Maccagnan, Texans director of college scouting: When Casserly’s name surfaced this week, one source told me to keep an eye on Maccagnan, a Casserly favorite.
Eliot Wolf, Packers director of pro personnel: Ron Wolf could end up being a consultant for the Jets, too. Would he recommend his son? Eliot is only 32, which might frighten the Jets, but the Packers front office has turned out good GMs in John Schneider and John Dorsey.
Johnson surely will have more names than even these to consider. There are plenty of good candidates. It’s up to Johnson to figure out which is the right one to get the Jets back on track.
Scouting bosses deserve scrutiny, too
Whoever the Jets hire as general manager must take a long look at the team’s scouting department.
It’s easy to blame John Idzik for every personnel choice that was made in the past two years, but he has been leaning on his scouting department, which has done a terrible job. It has been almost a decade since a Jets had a draft you could point to and say they nailed it. The 2006 draft is the last one that was really solid.
It is time to take a long look at senior director of college scouting Terry Bradway, who has been involved with the Jets drafts for 14 years. It is impossible to know which players Bradway is directly responsible for and which he was overruled on, but overall the Jets have not drafted well in years and it is killing them.
Who is the last mid- or late-round draft pick that has emerged as a star for the Jets? Jeremy Kerley, a 2011 fifth-rounder, is a solid player, but he’s not a star. If you look around the league, the best teams are not the ones that nail their first-round picks, but those that find gems in the middle and late rounds. The Jets have failed miserably doing that.
Idzik’s two drafts have been soundly criticized. The early returns on those drafts is not good, but failure in the 2013 or ’14 drafts are not the reason the Jets are 3-12. Failure in the drafts from 2008-12 is. The core of this team should have come from those drafts. There are no players on this roster from the 2008 or ’09 drafts. Only Kyle Wilson remains from 2010 (John Conner returned as a free agent.) Muhammad Wilkerson is a star, Kerley is a strong third receiver and Demario Davis is a solid starter. The rest of the 2011 and 2012 drafts are weak.
When Johnson starts making changes, it can’t just stop with Idzik and Rex Ryan. The entire scouting operation needs to be looked at.