Pros & Cons of Every Potential Remaining Jets GM Candidate

According to the New York Post's Brian Costello, Marc Ross has pulled out of the race for the general manager position for the New York Jets. In the wake of this new development, we wanted to take a look at who is left in contention and what they bring to the table.

It should really come as a shock to no one that Woody Johnson is having trouble filling this spot. After all, who wants to come in and run the ship when it's been made clear Rex Ryan can't/won't be fired. Lame duck coaches aren't exactly an incentive for prospective general managers.

Still, there's something to be said for being the man who turned the Jets from an NFL laughingstock into a Super Bowl contender, and I'm sure someone will take the bait.

Here are the remaining eight candidates rumored to be in the running for this position, along with our take on the pros and cons each man brings to the Jets. 

Brian Gaine

Current Position: Assistant General Manager for Miami Dolphins

Brian Gaine is a man who has experience as a player at both the collegiate and NFL levels, as a scout at the professional level and as a personnel man with the Miami Dolphins the past couple of seasons. 

Pros:

• Disciple of Bill Parcells
• Scouting background 
• Former player
• Familiar with the AFC East

Cons:

• Lack of experience as a general manager
• Been involved in some questionable draft picks with Jeff Ireland

Tom Gamble

Current Position: Director of Player Personnel with San Francisco 49ers

Tom Gamble is a well-respected personnel man with 24 years of NFL experience. He began his career as an assistant to the director of player personnel with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, worked his way up the ladder and helped build playoff teams with the Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts.

Pros:

• Extensive Experience in the NFL
• Scouting Background
• Worked with Trent Baalke on contract negotiations
• Worked under Bill Polian for a number of years at Indianapolis
• Former coach

Cons:

• No known weaknesses to report

Omar Khan

Current Position: Director of Football and Business Administration with Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan is an administrative guru for the Steelers whose expertise lies in contract negotiations. He has been with Pittsburgh since 2001, and he's responsible for engineering many of the team's long-term contracts, including Troy Polamalu's.

Pros:

• Salary cap expert
• Well-respected by his peers
• Considered for general manager positions in 2010 and 2012 (h/t SI.com)
• Key member of one of the NFL's most stable franchises for over a decade

Cons:

• Lack of experience as a scout/talent evaluator

Jim Popp

Current Position: General Manager for Montreal Alouettes (CFL)

Jim Popp has spent his entire career as a front-office man and coach in the Canadian Football League.

He has over two decades of administrative experience with three different teams. His teams have won four Grey Cups (CFL equivalent of the Super Bowl) and have appeared in 10.

Pros:

• Extensive experience as an administrator
• Extensive experience as a coach
• Knows how to find diamonds in the rough 

Cons:

• Has never played/coached/administrated in the NFL

John Idzik

Current Position: Vice President of Football Administration for Seattle Seahawks

John Idzik is another man who is more in tune with the business side of the NFL than the talent side, though the team's website writes he also takes part in player evaluations. 

He has spent the past six years with the Seahawks as their go-to guy for contract negotiations, and he is the man who makes sure the club stays in line with the salary cap.

Pros:

• Expertise in contract negotiations
• Salary cap guru
• Extensive experience as an administrator in the NFL
• Father was a well-respected coach in the CFL and NFL

Cons:

• Lack of scouting background

Russ Ball

Current Position: Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance for Green Bay Packers

Russ Ball began his NFL career as a strength and conditioning coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, he's worked his way up the ladder to become a savvy contract negotiator and is a man who is knowledgeable about the NFL's salary cap.

Pros:

• Helped build a Super Bowl team with the Packers
• Extensive experience as an administrator on the business side of things
• Former player at the collegiate level

Cons:

• No scouting background

Ted Sundquist

Current Position: Out of the NFL

Ted Sundquist hasn't been involved with an NFL team since 2008, but he was highly successful as the general manager of the Denver Broncos from 2002-2008 and has 15 years of experience at various levels in the NFL.

He engineered many a trade, including the team's decision to trade up for Jay Cutler and the team's decision to trade Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey.

Pros: 

• Former scout for the Broncos
• Experience as a contract negotiator
• Aggressive personnel man who's willing to make bold moves to bolster his team

Cons:

• Been out of the game for the better part of five years

Scott Cohen

Current Position: Assistant General Manager for New York Jets

Scott Cohen has been with the Jets since 2008, assisting Mike Tannenbaum.

Before coming to the Jets, he spent 16 years with three other teams as an administrator. 

Pros: 

• Working relationship with Rex Ryan
• Continuity in the scouting department

Cons: 

• Familiarity breeds contempt, especially with the team's fan base
• He's been part of a failed administration under Tannenbaum

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