Jets Mailbag: Who will the next general manager and head coach be?

The Jets are interviewing just about anyone who is anybody for their vacant head coach and general manager positions. They hope to find the men to end this 14-year playoff drought soon.

In the meantime, we figured it would be a good time to open up the mailbag and address the state of the Jets.

Let’s get right to it...

Am I wrong for hoping the Jets get Mason Graham in the NFL Draft? - @NewslawyerNYC

Not at all. There’s a lot at play there for the Jets. Excluding the caliber of player worthy of a top-10 selection, you can make the argument for the Jets to go receiver, tight end, right tackle, defensive tackle, cornerback, and safety. Again: Not saying there’s a safety or tight end who should go at No. 7, but those are positions of need.

Personally, I think the interior defensive line isn’t a spot I’d go with a top-10 pick. That’s legitimately just me. I think you can find good players there in the middle rounds or free agency. If Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, Abdul Carter, and Travis Hunter go before the Jets pick, that means one of the receivers Tetairoa McMillan or Luther Burden, corner Will Johnson, or tackle Will Campbell will be there.

Offensive tackle, receiver, and corner are positions with more value than interior defensive line. The Jets need a tackle and corner if they don’t re-sign Morgan Moses and D.J. Reed. They’ll need a receiver if they move on from Allen Lazard and Davante Adams. Graham would slide in perfectly on that defensive line, but the Jets might be better off with a McMillan, Johnson, or Campbell, and a free agent interior defensive lineman, than the reverse.

When do you think the Jets name a head coach and general manager? - @ZXCVBNMASDFGHE

They should wrap up their first round of interviews this week. They will then have a second round of interviews with their favorites of that group. Woody Johnson and his advisors will then decide who they believe are the right general manager and coach for this team, and make their formal offers.

That could happen by the end of this week if they move quickly, or early next. Remember: The only vacancy filled right now is the Patriots (Mike Vrabel), which was an … interesting … search. The Jets are operating on an appropriate timeline.

Who do you think ends up being the Jets' next general manager, coach and quarterback? - @RenzelWhereYA

There’s a lot of buzz going around league circles right now regarding a Ryan Grigson (general manager), Brian Flores (head coach), and Josh McCown (offensive coordinator) pairing. A source in Minnesota actually said that’s been talked about within their building.

Important to note: These are league sources speculating on what they’ve heard regarding the Jets vacancy, not a Jets source telling me what they are going to do. Woody Johnson, Christopher Johnson, Hymie Elhai (team president), Mike Tannenbaum (33rd Team), and Rick Spielman (33rd Team) are the ones in and conducting these interviews. That’s a very small circle. The Jets are keeping things incredibly close to the vest. That’s a good thing. The Jets have had too many people voicing their opinions in recent years.

Aaron Glenn is also in discussion at head coach, as is reported. A lot of people I touch base with believe he’s going to end up in New Orleans, though.

I think Flores would be the perfect hire for the Jets. The Jets desperately need someone to change their culture and instill a disciplined mindset that’s been sorely lacking for a decade-plus. Vrabel would have been perfect to do that. That’s why the Jets did everything they could to hire him – including a last-second call before he took the Patriots job.

Flores, though, is cut from a similar cloth and far from a poor consolation prize. He’d eliminate the nonsense.

Will Rex Ryan be the next head coach? - @GreenJoseph19

I’ve heard this is highly, highly, highly unlikely to happen. One source actually told me there is no chance. Give the Jets credit for allowing Ryan a chance to interview, but let’s be real: It would be a disaster. Yes, Ryan oversaw the last two playoff teams for the Jets. However, he took the Jets to the playoffs with Eric Mangini’s team. The moment Ryan got his hands on the roster things began to deteriorate.

The Jets, after that 11-5 season in 2010, did not have a single winning season under Ryan (four years). They were viewed as one of the most dysfunctional and undisciplined teams in the league during that span. Ryan then went to the Bills in 2015. He missed the playoffs in his only two seasons there before being run out of town. He hasn’t coached since 2016.

So now, after an eight-year break, he’s ready to take back over as head coach? Come on now.

Why in the world are they even considering a defensive-minded coach? - @Donnie3114

This was my thought for a while, too. It was my immediate reaction when the Jets hired Robert Saleh. You should always go for the offensive coach. It’s so much harder to start a new offensive scheme compared to a defensive one. Hire a defensive coach, he brings an offensive coordinator with him. The moment that offensive coordinator has success, another team hires him and you’re going back to square one.

That is a problem the Jets would absolutely kill to have right now. Offense? Defense? Special teams? It doesn't matter at this point. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years. Get the person in here who’s going to snap that drought.

Worry about rich people's problems when there are more than pennies in your account.

What should our quarterback depth chart look like going into the 2025 season? - @Jetstro69

Tyrod Taylor as the starter, Justin Fields as the backup, and Jordan Travis as the third-stringer. That works. It seems so unlikely Aaron Rodgers returns. If he wants to keep playing he’ll have his options with the Steelers or Saints (assuming that’s where Mike McCarthy goes after leaving Dallas).

This isn’t a great quarterback class. The Jets are better off waiting for 2026, similar to when they went into the 2017 season with Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty as their quarterbacks.