The Jets are looking to the past for help in planning for the future.
The team has hired the 33rd Team, founded by former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, to identify, vet and coordinate candidates for open general manager and head coaching positions and coordinate interviews, according to officials. That's what it means.
The Jets have begun the process of finding replacements for Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh, who were fired this season.
Jets owner Woody Johnson will oversee the search, but a group from the 33rd team will assist him and other Jets executives in the search.
Tannenbaum and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman will be the main representatives of the No. 33 team. Spielman served as an advisor to the team last year as they searched for a general manager and coach.
The 33rd team will also provide the Jets with research on best recruiting practices, data analysis, trends and insights from the past five years.
Tannenbaum knows the Jets organization and Johnson better than anyone. He was the general manager of the Jets from 2006 to 2012 and was the architect of the last Jets team to make the playoffs.
He joined the Jets in 1997 under manager Bill Parcells, first handling player contracts and then being promoted to general manager.
As GM, Tannenbaum drafted Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, as well as franchise cornerstones Nick Mangold, Dobrika Shaw Ferguson, and David Harris.
Tannenbaum went on to serve as the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations and is currently an analyst for EsPN. In 2019, he founded The 33rd Team, which is said to be an NFL think tank.
Mr. Tannenbaum will introduce Mr. Johnson to someone who has actually served as GM chair here to help him identify candidates who can serve here. Since Tannenbaum was fired in 2012, the Jets have had three general managers — John Idzik, Mike McCanyan and Joe Douglas — but none have built a playoff roster.
Tannenbaum knows the New York market well and knows Johnson's ownership style and what he wants from a new GM and coach.
Tannenbaum hired Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan as coaches during his time as Jets GM. Ryan, who is also an ESPN analyst, is campaigning to return as head coach. His relationship with Tannenbaum would raise questions about whether he would be a candidate, but there is no indication the Jets are exploring a reunion.
Spielman helped the manager hire Adam Peters as general manager and Dan Quinn as head coach last season, and Washington is currently 7-5 and in contention for a playoff spot. He served as the Vikings' GM from 2012 to 2021, with the team reaching the playoffs five times, and previously served as the Dolphins' GM in 2004.
He also works as an analyst for CBS Sports.
The Jets waived Douglas and Saleh and are undergoing a complete reboot. Johnson made the first in-season firing in the 25 years he has owned the Jets.
Saleh was fired as head coach on October 8 after the Jets fell to 2-3 with a loss to the Vikings in Week 5. Johnson had hoped that Saleh's replacement, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, would turn the season around, but that didn't happen. The Jets are 1-5 since Saleh left and are 3-8 with six games remaining in the season.
Coach Johnson fired Douglas last Tuesday during the team's bye week. He made this move now so the Jets can begin the search for a new GM and coach.
The first step was recruiting a 33rd team. The Jets can interview candidates who are not currently employed by an NFL team. You will have to wait until the end of the season to interview candidates who are currently working on the team.
