Jets GM candidates to replace Joe Douglas: Keep an eye on these 15 names

With Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, the New York Jets’ 2024 postseason chances officially disappeared, but owner Woody Johnson turned his attention to the 2025 season weeks ago.

Currently, the organization – with the help of former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman via The 33rd Team – is already beginning to research and vet potential general manager and head coach candidates.

The Jets are believed to prefer to hire a general manager first, although that order could change if they could land a highly regarded coaching candidate like Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson. The list of head coach targets will be filled with some expected names, but also some surprises. When it comes to GM, the candidate list is a little more open.

After speaking with some league sources, here is a list of candidates that some around the league expect the Jets to pursue — and some candidates that are expected to add their own interest in the job to the Jets (candidates in alphabetical order):

Ray Agnew, Lions assistant general manager: Don’t be surprised if several general managers emerge from Brad Holmes’ staff in Detroit. Agnew played in the NFL for a decade and worked in the Rams’ front office for Holmes and Les Snead. He played an important role in the Lions’ rise to one of the best teams in the NFL.

Dawn Aponte, NFL chief administrator of football operations: Aponte wants to move back into a team’s front office, either as president of football operations or general manager. Her resume and the respect she commands throughout the league make her qualified for both jobs. Many point to her ability to see the big picture; She has worked in various departments for NFL teams over the years, including in salary cap and personnel for the Jets (under Tannenbaum) in the early 2000s. Don’t underestimate her as a candidate. The athletic one‘s Dianna Russini reported that she is expected to draw interest, and the Chargers interviewed her for their GM job last year.

Scoop City Newsletter

Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Free, daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign in

Mike Borgonzi, Chiefs assistant GM: He has been with the Chiefs organization in various roles since 2009 and has been assistant GM since 2021. The Jets should look to poach someone from the NFL’s best-run organizations, and the Chiefs are at the top of that list, although Borgonzi might have his pick when it comes to GM openings.

Brandon Brown, Giants assistant GM: He worked in Philadelphia under Howie Roseman and spent the last few years with the Giants under Joe Schoen. The Giants were a surprising playoff team in 2022, and even though they’ve regressed since then, that doesn’t affect how people view Brown around the league. He is praised for his ability to socialize and is considered a good judge of talent. He was a finalist for the Chargers job last year.

Ian Cunningham, Chicago Bears assistant GM: He dreamed up Douglas in the front office of the Ravens and Eagles and has been considered a rising star in league circles for some time. Cunningham has been with the Bears since 2022, was a finalist for the Commanders and Cardinals GM jobs in recent years and is expected to make another attempt in 2025. Expect to at least interview with the Jets, although he may have better options. Positive thing about his resume: He has worked in both college scouting and NFL personnel.

Thomas Dimitroff, former Falcons GM: He was Atlanta’s GM from 2008 to 2020 after years in New England. The Falcons made it to the playoffs six times in his 13 years on the job, including reaching the Super Bowl in 2016. Since the Falcons fired him, he has worked for a football analytics company, but is believed to want another chance to run for a team; League sources believe he will be interested in the Jets job.

John Dorsey, Lions senior human resources officer: If the Jets are looking for someone with GM experience, Dorsey is one of the better candidates. He managed the Chiefs (2013-17) and Browns (2017-19) and spent the last few years in the front offices of the Eagles and Lions.

Ray Farmer, senior personnel manager for the Rams: His brief tenure as the Browns’ GM in 2014 and ’15 didn’t go well (10-22), but he has built a strong reputation under Snead since 2020, first as a scouting assistant and now as a senior executive.

Mike Greenberg, Buccaneers assistant GM: Considered one of the up-and-coming GM candidates in the league, he has served as a salary cap expert under Jason Licht in Tampa in recent years. I would expect the Jets to at least interview him.

Mike Martin, Lions Director of Scouting Development: Martin has done his part, working his way up to a key role in the Lions’ front office for one of the NFL’s best-run organizations. He was one of Holmes’ first front office employees. He oversees strategy, processes and data analysis and works with college and pro staff to “improve scouting and roster construction processes,” according to the Lions website. He began his career in talent evaluation as a scout for the Texans.

Lance Newmark, deputy GM to the commander: He spent years in the Lions organization and was part of their successful rebuild before being poached by Adam Peters in Washington this past offseason. It should be noted that Spielman, who will assist in the Jets search, helped with the search that led to the Commanders hiring Peters as GM.

Phil Savage, interim general manager of the Jets: Savage had a 24-40 record as GM of the Browns from 2005 to 2008. He has since spent time in the Eagles organization as GM of the AAF’s Arizona Hotshots and has served in the Jets organization as a senior personnel advisor since 2019. If the Jets are looking for experience, he’s got it – and he’s worked with Johnson.

John Spytek, assistant general manager of the Buccaneers: Spytek, another member of Tampa Bay’s front office, should attract attention this offseason should draw interest from the Jets. He has worked under lights for a while and currently works closely with the Bucs’ GM when it comes to the NFL Draft, free agency and other personnel decisions, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of Tampa’s college and pro scouting departments the team website.

Nolan Teasley, Seahawks assistant general manager: He’s in his 12th season in Seattle, learning under general manager John Schneider. He is in his second year as assistant GM after spending most of his tenure in professional personnel; Teasley is scheduled for some interviews.

Josh Williams, 49ers director of scouting and football operations: Many in league circles believe the 37-year-old is an under-the-radar rising star, someone who spent 14 years in the San Francisco organization under John Lynch and Paraag Marathe. Williams is praised for his intelligence and has worked his way up from the lowest levels of the organization to his current position, where he directs game strategy. He was born a college scout.

(Photo by Thomas Dimitroff: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)