On Monday, the Jets began their search for a new general manager by interviewing a candidate with previous experience.
Former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is the first known candidate to interview with the Jets for their vacant general manager position.
From 2008-20, Dimitroff oversaw the Falcons, who won 113 games during his time in Atlanta and made six playoff appearances with a trip to Super Bowl LI in the middle of that span. In 2008, Dimitroff drafted Matt Ryan out of Boston College, third overall in the NFL Draft. He also engineered the trade that landed Julio Jones after dealing five draft picks to the Browns to move up from No. 26 to sixth overall to select the wide receiver.
The Jets general manager job became open last month after owner Woody Johnson fired Joe Douglas on Nov. 19 after going 31-66 during his five-plus seasons with the team.
In addition to Dimitroff, the Jets are expected to interview former Titans general manager Jon Robinson this week and current ESPN analyst Louis Reddick shortly after that. Gang Green can conduct general manager interviews with candidates who are not currently working with NFL teams. However, the Jets cannot officially interview a candidate who works for a league club until the conclusion of the regular season.
Before he landed with the Falcons in 2008, Dimitroff worked as a scout with the Chiefs, Browns, and Lions. He was also the Patriots director of scouting from 2003-07.
In 2016, the Falcons went to the Super Bowl after finishing 11-5 that season. However, they eventually lost to the Patriots after blowing a 28-3 lead in the game.
Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn were both fired in 2020 after the team’s 0-5 start to the season. Since 2022, Dimitroff has worked for a football analytics company called SumerSports.
Whoever Johnson hires as the Jets general manager will help oversee their coaching search after the team fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 after a 2-3 start.