The New York Jets have officially hired Mike Maccagnan, who was previously the Houston Texans' director of college scouting, as their new general manager. Maccagnan was one of at least 10 names linked to the position since the team parted ways with John Idzik after the conclusion of the regular season.
Mike Maccagnan hired as Jets general manager
Mike Maccagnan, formerly with the Houston Texans, will succeed John Idzik as GM.
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Following Maccagnan’s first and second interviews (the latter of which came just four days after the former), it was widely reported he was a frontrunner for the job. Maccagnan has been around the NFL for a long time, but this is his first shot at landing a GM position.
The Jets brought in Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf to be consultants for the search for a new general manager and a head coach, and Maccagnan has ties to Casserly dating back to the 1990s when he got his start in the league.
Maccagnan’s first task will be to help with the efforts to bring in a new head coach. Rex Ryan was let go along with Idzik after six seasons with the team. The Jets went 4-12 this past season, after three consecutive seasons without a postseason appearance.
Despite the team's struggles, New York has plenty of talented players on its roster. The Jets ranked third in the league in rushing yardage and fifth in the league in rush defense, but the passing game was abysmal in 2014. They ranked dead last in passing yardage, with just a 184.1 passing yards average per game. One of the main tasks for Maccagnan and his new head coach will be to decide what to do with the quarterback position and figure out if Geno Smith is still even in the discussion going forward.
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