Let the interviews begin.
The Jets are taking the next step in finding their new general manager when they begin interviews this week, a source confirmed. The first known candidates are former Titans GM Jon Robinson and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick.
Robinson will interview this week while Riddick’s interview may come later.
The Jets are able to interview candidates who are not currently working for an NFL team. Anyone currently employed by a team will have to be interviewed after the season.
The Jets fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and GM Joe Douglas on Nov. 19 in the midst of this disappointing season.
The Jets are not committed to hiring a GM first and a coach second. They have hired The 33rd Team, led by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman, to assist them in the search for the two positions.
Robinson, 48, was the Titans GM from 2016-22. The Titans went 66-43, never had a losing season and and made the playoffs four times during his time with the team. Tennessee had back-to-back last-place finishes before he arrived.
The Titans fired him in December of 2022 before the season was over. Many people pointed to his trade of star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles during the 2022 draft as one of the biggest mistakes he made and something that led to his firing months later. Interestingly, Robinson worked with coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, who is one of the top head coaching candidates in this cycle.
Robinson, who began his career as a scout with the Patriots, had some huge hits in the draft early in his tenure — Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, Jack Conklin, Jeffery Simmons and Brown. But he had some terrible picks later like taking offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson in the first round of the 2020 draft. Wilson played in one game for the Titans, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. He is out of the league. The next year, Robinson took Caleb Farley at No. 22 despite Farley having a risky medical history. Farley struggled to stay healthy and played in 12 games in two years for Tennessee and is now on the Panthers.
Riddick, 55, has interviewed for several GM openings in recent years, including with the Giants in 2017 before they hired Dave Gettleman. Before joining ESPN as an analyst, Riddick worked in the front office of the Eagles and the Commanders. He played seven seasons in the NFL.
ESPN first reported Robinson and Riddick as candidates for the Jets job.