General managers do not receive second chances nearly as often as head coaches. The Jets’ early round of interview requests has shown, however, they are quite open to the notion of a rebound GM.
After meeting with Thomas Dimitroff and Jon Robinson, the Jets have since sent interview requests to Ray Farmer and Ryan Grigson, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Farmer and Grigson, respectively, enjoyed tenures as Browns and Colts GMs during the 2010s. As could be expected, a number of candidates seeking their first GM opportunity are also in the Jets’ plans.
Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi received a Jets request, per Russini, while Schefter adds Buccaneers assistant GM Mike Greenberg did as well. Bengals senior personnel exec Trey Brown is on the Jets’ request list, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, while Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby is as well. Halaby will interview for the position Wednesday, Pelissero adds.
Farmer has not been a part of this process for a while. Now 50, Farmer is nearly 10 years removed from his Browns GM tenure. He has conducted one GM interview — for the Jaguars’ post that went to Trent Baalke in 2021 — since the Browns fired him after the 2015 season. Once suspended for sending text messages to the sideline from his press box seat during the 2014 season — his first as Browns GM — Farmer oversaw one of the more successful seasons since Cleveland’s franchise rebooted. The Browns went 7-9 in 2014, though that year was marred by a disastrous first round that saw Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel become historic busts. Farmer is now with the Rams, working as a senior personnel exec. He picked up a Super Bowl ring for his work three years ago.
Grigson, the Colts’ GM from 2012-16, works as a Vikings exec presently. Minnesota hired him as senior VP of player personnel; he has worked under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for two years. The two worked together in Cleveland under GM Andrew Berry as well. The Colts reached the AFC championship game under Grigson, who was present for the Andrew Luck pick, but they also struggled to build a foundation around their franchise passer, who suffered career-altering injuries to help lead to Grigson’s ouster.
The Chiefs’ success figures to make Borgonzi a popular target. Kansas City lost one of its front office pieces last year, as the Panthers hired Brandt Tilis to a non-GM post. Borgonzi works as Brett Veach‘s right-hand man presently. Borgonzi’s Chiefs tenure predates Andy Reid, as he arrived in Kansas City as a Scott Pioli hire. Borgonzi has climbed the ladder during the team’s rise, moving to the AGM post in 2021. The Commanders are the only team, however, that has met with him for a GM interview thus far.
Brown has taken a few interviews previously; ditto Greenberg. The latter grew up a Jets fan on Long Island, and Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager indicates the Bucs could be in danger losing him this year. Greenberg, who has been with the franchise for two decades, serves as the Bucs’ lead cap guru and has been chiefly responsible for the team being able to retain both members of its Super Bowl LV-winning nucleus along with Baker Mayfield.
A Kansas City-area native, Brown is 39 but has been in the NFL ranks since 2010. He has worked in the Cincinnati front office since 2020. This will be Halaby’s second offseason on the GM carousel; he met with the Commanders and Panthers last year. The Eagles promoted the analytics staffer to assistant GM in 2022, when the franchise saw four of its execs become assistant GMs elsewhere.
The Jets also sent out a host of HC interview slips Monday, and they are not committing to a GM-centric power structure. That will be a pertinent question for GM candidates, as organizational power is an obvious driver for execs and coaches. The team is not committed to hiring either position first, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini indicates, adding some additional intrigue to a process that already features plenty. Woody Johnson‘s overreach has generated numerous headlines as of late, and the owner’s meddling stands to have an impact on the team’s HC and GM searches.
