Jets continue to interview candidates for head coach and general manager positions
Chris Spielman, Detroit Lions Special Assistant to President, CEO and Chairperson, watches during an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Detroit on Oct. 31, 2021. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
Woody Johnson and his search committee were quite busy Saturday.
They interviewed five candidates for the Jets’ general manager vacancy and one for their opening at head coach.
Lions executive Chris Spielman, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown and assistant general managers Darren Mougey (Broncos) and Lance Newmark (Commanders) interviewed for the GM job.
New Jersey native Darren Rizzi, who ended the season as the Saints’ interim head coach, met with the Jets about their coaching job.
The Jets are casting a really wide net in these searches. They have spoken to 21 known candidates — 13 for GM and eight for head coach.
The coaching search will intensify this week when the Jets can interview candidates whose teams participated in the wild-card games.
The Jets are expected to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, Vikings quarterbacks coach and former Jet Josh McCown and 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese.
The coaching candidates the Jets already have interviewed are Ron Rivera, Mike Vrabel, Rex Ryan, Matt Nagy, Aaron Glenn, Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Locksley. Vrabel reportedly is in contract negotiations to become the Patriots’ head coach.
Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Alec Halaby, Mike Borgonzi, Bellmore’s Mike Greenberg and Ray Farmer have interviewed for the GM job.
Spielman has been a special assistant to the Lions’ owner, president and CEO since 2020. He played a major role in Detroit, hiring general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell in 2021.
The Lions have made the playoffs in back-to-back years. They won a franchise-record 15 games this season to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Spielman, a former All-Pro linebacker, has strong ties in the Jets’ search. His older brother, Rick Spielman, is part of the interview process.
Johnson appointed The 33rd Team to help find the Jets’ next GM and head coach. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman are vetting candidates, arranging interviews and helping to conduct them. Johnson will have final say in both hires.
Grigson is in his third season as Minnesota’s senior vice president of player personnel. He helped build teams that won at least 13 games twice in three years.
He has more than 25 years of NFL front-office experience, including five as the Colts’ GM. Indianapolis went 2-14 the year before Grigson arrived in 2012 and finished .500 or better every year under Grigson, reaching the postseason three times.
Grigson also has worked for the Browns, Seahawks, Eagles and Rams.
Brown, 39, has been Cincinnati’s senior personnel executive for three seasons. He started as a Bengals scout in 2021 and also scouted for the Patriots and Eagles. He was promoted in Philadelphia to director of college scouting and also worked for the XFL and AAF.
Mougey, in his second season as Denver’s assistant general manager, began with the Broncos in 2012 as a scouting intern. He’s also been a personnel and scouting assistant, college and pro scout, area scout, assistant director of college scouting and director of player personnel for Denver.
Newmark is in his first season as the Commanders’ assistant general manager after working 26 years in the Lions’ organization. He started out as a Lions scout in 1999 and was senior director of player personnel before leaving for Washington. Newmark also served as Detroit’s director of player personnel, director of college scouting and assistant director of college scouting.
Rizzi, a longtime special teams coach, has coached in the NFL since 2009 with Miami and New Orleans.
During his 10-year run with the Dolphins, he was special teams coordinator for the final eight and associate head coach in 2017 and 2018 under former Jets coach Adam Gase.
Rizzi, the Saints’ special teams coordinator the past six seasons, went 3-5 as interim head coach after Dennis Allen was fired in November.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
