The Jets had a busy day in their search for a new general manager on Saturday. The team interviewed five candidates, including two who had not been previously reported.
Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey and Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark both interviewed with the team on Saturday. Those were two new names added to the list.
They were joined by Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson and Lions special assistant to the owner and CEO Chris Spielman.
In addition to the GM interviews, the team spoke with Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi about their head coaching opening.
The flurry of general manager interviews raises the total to 13 individuals interviewed by the Jets for the position vacated when the team fired Joe Douglas in November.
They are also expected to interview Bills assistant GM Brian Gaine and Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan for the GM post.
Mougey, 39, has been with the Broncos since 2012 when he began his career as a scouting intern.
He rose through the scouting department and became the assistant GM in 2022.
In an interview with the Broncos website in 2022, Denver GM George Paton said Mougey would one day be a GM.
“He’s still young,” Paton told the website. “He’ll continue to learn and continue to get better, but [he] certainly will be a GM down the road.”
Newmark has only been with the Commanders for a year.
He spent 26 seasons with the Lions before that.
His last role with the Lions was as senior director of player personnel.
He oversaw day-to-day operations of the Lions’ football information and football technology departments and had a role in both pro and college scouting.
The Jets are about to enter Week 2 of their full-blown search for a new GM and coach.
They can begin to interview coaching candidates from playoff teams playing this weekend this week, but they all must be virtual.
The Jets have requested interviews with the following coaches who are in the playoffs this weekend: Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
While the coaching interviews with candidates currently employed must remain virtual until Jan. 20, GM interviews are allowed to be in person, which could lead to the Jets hiring a GM before hiring a coach.
It would not be surprising to see the Jets beginning second interviews with GM candidates later in the week.
