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While much of the attention on the Jets' bombshell firing of GM Mike Maccagnan has been on the perceived dysfunction in the organization, the focus of the team will be to look ahead. Although Adam Gase is already in place as the interim GM - and already made one controversial splash with the Darron Lee trade - you would expect the Jets to move quickly to fill the role with a permanent alternative.

If there's one silver lining to the curious timing of yesterday's move, it's that the Jets won't face competition from any other teams for any potential candidate to replace Maccagnan.

Ordinarily, they'd have missed out on many of the top candidates that filled vacancies after the season, but only one team hired a new general manager this offseason: the Raiders with Mike Mayock. That should enable the Jets to have their pick of the litter, albeit there is a prevailing sense around the league that maybe competent general manager candidates are in short supply.

One other factor that favors the incoming replacement is that, unlike most general manager candidates, he's coming in after the draft. That means he can move immediately to get his own scouting staff in place, rather than having to make use of the incumbent staff because the scouting process is already well underway.

Of course, the downside of this from the Jets' standpoint is their 2019 draft was in the hands of personnel they have since decided they can no longer trust, although it's fair to say that most experts were impressed with the Jets' haul.

According to reports, the Jets are already linked with Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas, with separate reports suggesting NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah might join him, presumably in some type of scouting capacity. However, more candidates are sure to emerge over the days and weeks to come.

Whoever takes the job, the immediate priority must be establishing a solid working relationship with Gase. If it ends up being Douglas who undertakes the role, that bodes well, as he apparently gets along well with Gase. Douglas was heading up the college scouting department with the Bears a few years ago, while Gase was the offensive coordinator.

Even if Douglas doesn't end up getting the job, CEO Christopher Johnson has stated that Gase will be involved in the search, so there's a good chance they will end up hiring someone he will have good chemistry with.

You would also expect the new general manager to review the existing roster and depth chart, and move quickly to fill any holes. The Jets had been criticized in recent months for refusing to upgrade their starting center, and providing viable competition for Darryl Roberts for the starting cornerback role.

Maybe Maccagnan was prepared to head into camp with Roberts and Jonotthan Harrison pencilled in as starters, but the new general manager will need to consult with Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to see if they feel a move is necessary. While the free agent market has basically dried up at those positions, trades or waiver claims could still provide alternatives.

Looking ahead, contractual decisions also need to be made with key players such as Robby Anderson and Leonard Williams as to whether to try to retain them beyond this year and, if so, what kind of extension to offer them when the time comes. It also won't be long before Jamal Adams is due for an extension of his own either -- and that will be one that is expected to reset the market.

It will also be interesting to see whether Maccagnan's replacement takes a different approach to dealing with the media. Maccagnan seemed to get along well with the media and, until recently, kept a tight ship in terms of allowing news about roster moves to leak out prematurely. Jets fans can be impatient and vocal if the team isn't getting results, so the new guy will need to be able to handle pressure and avoid being influenced by online chatter.

Ultimately, the Jets' job is one of the hardest around, but - as they say - if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. So the next general manager has a great chance to make a name for himself.

Johnson and Gase need to find the right man for the job, and then hopefully the organization can move forward with a healthier leadership structure and better lines of communication. That needs to happen before the optimism from earlier this year can return to the fanbase, and perhaps, even for the players themselves.

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