Jets Rumors: 'Not a Given' NY Will Hire GM Before HC After Douglas, Saleh Firings

It's reportedly "not a given" that the New York Jets will hire a general manager before a head coach as the team looks for new leadership for the 2025 season and beyond, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

"After interviewing three GM candidates -- former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Titans GM Jon Robinson and Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy -- last week, the Jets took a break for the holidays," the NFL Network duo wrote.

"It's not a given they'll hire the GM before the head coach; no currently employed coaches or executives can interview for the job until after the regular season ends."

New York, which currently owns a 4-11 record, is in the market for a head coach after firing Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. The Jets' struggles continued, though, and the team then parted ways with general manager Joe Douglas on Nov. 19.

The Jets have now gone 14 seasons without making the playoffs, the longest current streak in the NFL. Naturally, it's imperative that the Jets get these calls right. This time around, New York could be looking to do something a bit different, perhaps hiring someone with more experience, per Pelissero and Rapoport.

"The team hired a first-year head coach and a first-year GM last time, and this time figure to go for experience in at least one of the spots. Because of the talent base, the interest in the position is expected to be significant, even with a major QB question looming.

"Owner Woody Johnson is conducting the search with help from consultants, including former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who also helped the Commanders with their search a year ago."

New York has the advantage of getting a head start on the coaching and GM search process. However, as NFL Network noted, the team can't interview anyone currently employed in the league until after the regular season.

The season ends on Jan. 5, so the Jets can expand their search at that point if they so choose. New York could also conceivably choose someone it's already interviewed and get a head start on the offseason, although it probably wouldn't make much sense to cut the potential GM talent pool short given the amount of potentially qualified and employed NFL executives out there.

Ultimately, the Jets are in rough shape right now. They were gunning for the playoffs and a potential championship run by bringing in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but that experiment has not worked. There's a big question at QB1 next year, first and foremost, with Rodgers' future up in the air.

Otherwise, the Jets certainly have star talent on both sides of the ball, but it hasn't materialized into winning seasons.

So, in sum, the next GM and coach have plenty of work to do as they enter a tough situation in hopes of finally turning this franchise around.