After firing Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh, the Jets had both a general manager and coaching vacancy before the end of the 2024 season.
But more than a week after the conclusion of their 5-12 season, the team is still looking for both roles.
Gang Green has interviewed 15 candidates for its GM job and 10 people for its coaching opening, with more to come. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will interview for the Jets coaching position on Wednesday, and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will interview on Thursday, according to sources.
With that, it’s time to answer some of your fan questions in the first offseason Jets mailbag of 2025.
If you had control of the new GM & HC, who would you feel is the best duo to turn things around? – @J_B_Hunkamunka
So you’re putting me in charge of the Jets? With great power comes great responsibility, but I think I have the right GM and coaching team to help turn the organization around.
First, it starts with hiring Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi. On Jan. 8, he interviewed with the Jets for their GM position after helping the Chiefs become the NFL’s next dynasty. Since Borgonzi became the assistant GM in 2021 and became Brett Veach’s right-hand man, the Chiefs have drafted and developed players such as Trent McDuffie, Nick Bolton, Creed Humphrey and Isiah Pacheco.
Before that, Borgonzi was the Chiefs’ director of football operations (2018-20) and the club’s director of player personnel for three seasons (2017). In addition to working with Veach, Borgonzi oversees the Chiefs’ scouting department and is well-informed about talented college and NFL players.
I would pair Borgonzi with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who has known the Jets organization since the 1990s. The Jets interviewed Glenn virtually on Jan. 9.
Glenn was drafted by the Jets in 1994 and is a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback. He is also a Bill Parcells disciple and scout with the Jets for two seasons (2012-13). So, Glenn has a unique perspective on working as both a coach and on the executive level evaluating talent. He also knows how to work with Jets owner Woody Johnson, which can be challenging because he can be a meddling.
It has been a tough 14 seasons since the Jets last playoff appearance (2010), but I feel confident Borgonzi and Glenn are the right two candidates to turn things around.
Should the Jets talk to Mike McCarthy? – @EdwardDrohan
Absolutely, the Jets should talk to a coach who has won .608% of his games and a Super Bowl. McCarthy has also made 12 playoff appearances in his 18 seasons as a coach with both the Packers and the Cowboys.
However, the Jets are not expected to be interested in interviewing McCarthy for their coaching vacancy, according to sources. In 2019, after they fired Todd Bowles, the Jets interviewed McCarthy for the role but hired Adam Gase instead. McCarthy was hired as Cowboys coach in 2020 and registered a 49-35 record with three playoff appearances before the two sides parted ways on Monday.
Many fans want the Jets to target McCarthy because of his past success with Aaron Rodgers. The two won a Super Bowl in Green Bay together in 2010, and some of Rodgers’ best seasons came with McCarthy on the Packers’ sideline.
Since his firing in 2018, questions have been raised about McCarthy’s relationship with Rodgers. However, the two admire one another. In November, Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show, “He loves Mike,” and he called McCarthy “his boy.”
It is perplexing why the Jets wouldn’t want to speak with McCarthy unless they already know they will move on from Rodgers. Now that the 2024 season is over, Rodgers has zero guaranteed money left on his contract and it appears unlikely he will return for a third season with the Jets.
In your estimation, how much roster clean-up and rebuild await the new Jets GM? Will it be a cosmetic home improvement or need to be total demolition? – @MrEd315
A few weeks ago, I walked around the Jets locker room and came up with 15 players I feel confident will be on the team in 2025. Many of those players are part of the Jets’ young nucleus, such as Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall, Jermaine Johnson, and Olu Fashanu. I don’t feel as confident about Garrett Wilson’s return, given his frustration throughout last season and after he was noncommittal about wanting to remain with the organization. But the Jets have him under control for the next two seasons despite the fact there has been speculation he could ask for a trade.
Gang Green’s roster will look completely different than in 2024. Rodgers may not return, and receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard could be released. Cornerback D.J. Reed, right tackle Morgan Moses, and tight end Tyler Conklin are also free agents.
I don’t believe the Jets need to rebuild their roster completely. However, they will make significant changes after spinning the wheel of fortune in the last two seasons and going bankrupt each time.
What do you think the Jets will do with the first-rounder this year? Pair Will Johnson/Sauce? – @MeisterMikeyJ
Selecting seventh in the draft puts the Jets out of range for both Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Because of that, they should take the best available player at a position of need.
Cornerback is undoubtedly one of those needs because it’s doubtful Reed will return. At 6-2, 202 pounds, Will Johnson has excellent size and length for a cornerback and would be a wonderful complement to Gardner. At Michigan, Johnson showed he was a strong tackler who could play both man and zone coverages well.
Other draft options outside of Johnson include Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., LSU tackle Will Campbell, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham or Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.