New York Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Joe Douglas on Tuesday, signifying the need for the team to go in an entirely different direction. Douglas made some solid picks over his tenure with the team, including Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Will McDonald, but he failed when it came to making the playoffs. Johnson likely did the right thing in making the decision early enough to get a leg up on the rest of the league.
The biggest decisions that the Jets face are whether to bring back quarterback Aaron Rodgers and who to hire as their next head coach. There is no doubt that the new general manager will want to bring in “his guy” to lead the team. With Robert Salah fired and Joe Douglas gone too, let’s look at five candidates who could be excellent choices as the next Jets General Manager:
Mike Borgonzi
Borgonzi is the Assistant GM of the Kansas City Chiefs and has worked with Brett Veach and Andy Reid, two of the best minds in the business. Borgonzi has also seen what it takes to develop a quarterback from the ground up in Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs know what it takes to build a winner, and Borgonzi can bring that to a team that hasn’t felt that joy since 1969.
Phil Savage
Savage was the former general manager of the Cleveland Browns and the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl. His scouting pedigree is second to none. He hasn’t led a front office in a while, but he should be able to bring in a qualified staff to help him through all of his contacts.
Ray Agnew
Agnew is a former player as well as the former Assistant General Manager for both the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. Current Lions GM Brad Holmes is the new gold standard for upper management, so Agnew’s being his right-hand man might be very appealing.
Ed Dodds
Dodds is the current Assistant GM for the Colts, working under Chris Ballard. Dodds won a Super Bowl as a Director of Personnel while with the Seattle Seahawks and is highly regarded for his ability to get along with others.
Louis Riddick
Riddick is an ESPN analyst, but he has a lot of experience in front offices, too. He’s a smart guy who knows the league and if the Jets want to make a splash with this hire, he might be the guy.
