As many expected, the New York Jets have decided to part ways with General Manager Mike Tannenbaum on Monday, while making the decision to retain Head Coach Rex Ryan. While the Tannenbaum firing has been anticipated, it was unclear whether or not he would be outright fired, or reassigned to a salary cap management role.
This is the best move Owner Woody Johnson could have made. There is no reason to keep Tannenbaum around in any type of role whatsoever. No quality potential General Manager candidate would have accepted the terms of coming in to work alongside Tannenbaum as his salary cap specialist. This organization’s front office needs a fresh start. The Jets have constantly been weighed down by their inability to part ways with officials, often preferring to demote them rather than outright releasing them.
Prior to the Tannenbaum era, Terry Bradway was demoted from his General Manager position to a job within the personnel department. Bob Sutton, New York’s once Defensive Coordinator, was demoted to Linebackers coach when Rex Ryan was brought in. Tannenbaum being outright fired will allow this organization to start completely over, from a front office standpoint, which is exactly what is needed.
While Tannenbaum will likely be remembered as the man who gave horrible contracts to Mark Sanchez, Bart Scott, and Calvin Pace, while swinging one of the worst trades in recent NFL history, swapping two draft picks for Tim Tebow, who became nothing more than a decoration on the sideline, let’s not forget the good he had done early in his career. Tannenbaum is responsible for drafting very fundamental pieces of this team including Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and David Harris. However, Tannenbaum is also the same man who drafted Kyle Wilson, Vernon Gholston, and Anthony Schlegel.
Regardless of what he has done in the past, this move was absolutely necessary. Our sources have indicated that Tannenbaum not only has a fractured relationship with the media, but also has very little to no relationship with other General Managers around the league, which makes perfect sense considering the only trades this organization has been able to make recently have been with teams looking to rid themselves of certain players (Antonio Cromartie, Santonio Holmes, Tim Tebow). Tannenbaum also has a poor relationship with the agents of Darrelle Revis, as exposed in Revis’s 2010 training camp hold out. With a new General Manager, the chances of locking down the All-Pro CB to a long term deal will be much better.
The Jets have been headed down the wrong path since the conclusion of the 2010 season, and Woody Johnson needed to halt this downslide before it got any worse. Now, Johnson will work with newly appointed advisor Jed Hughes, who will help lead the Jets search for a new General Manager. Some names to watch for are Ravens Assistant GM, Eric DeCosta, New York Giants Director of College Scouting, Mark Ross, and former Indianapolis Colts General Manager Bill Polian, just to name a few. Former Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini’s name has been floated recently, but there are absolutely no indications of interest from either side at this point.
The list of potential candidates will grow in the coming hours and days, but look for Johnson and Hughes to try and make a hire sooner, rather than later, as several other decisions need to be made within the organization, particularly at Offensive Coordinator. Tony Sparano is expected to be out, but his firing may be delayed until a new General Manager is in place, so he can bring in his choice to fill the position.
In terms of Ryan, the Head Coach deservedly gets another year to right the ship after being handed an absolutely atrocious roster, in terms of depth, from Tannenbaum. While many believe the decision to retain Rex may narrow the list of potential General Manager candidates, that may not necessarily be the case. Johnson will likely give Ryan his vote of confidence for just one more year, at which point the new General Manager can reassess the situation and go from there. Obviously, if the Jets have a very good season next year, that decision will be an easy one for whoever the new GM is.
Most high ranking officials around the league recognize Ryan as a very talented Head Coach, with some flaws pertaining to his off the field antics, particularly the media leaks thats often flow out of Florham Park with more volume than the Hudson River flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. However, a new General Manager will likely change the entire culture of that situation, while demanding Ryan stick to doing what he does best – coaching football.
More pieces are sure to fall into place in the coming hours and days, so be sure to stay with Turn On The Jets, as we’ll have you covered from top to bottom with breaking new and analysis.
