After firing general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan early this morning, Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke to reporters at a press conference in New York, and touched upon a number of topics of note. Let’s check in on the highlights, via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, with all links going to Twitter….
- According to Johnson, the team’s next GM will have more of a scouting and personnel background than Idzik did.
- Ideally, the Jets will first hire a general manager and then address the head coaching opening, but that order is subject to change, said Johnson.
- Johnson admitted that he made a mistake by forcing Ryan on Idzik when he hired the GM. The comment suggests that the two men didn’t exactly make for an ideal match, with Idzik occasionally struggling to add players who fit Ryan’s system.
- The Jets owner indicated today that if he thought he could’ve signed cornerback Darrelle Revis for the contract he agreed to with the Patriots, he would’ve done so. However, previous experiences with Revis’ agents gave him the impression that signing the standout corner wouldn’t be possible. Johnson added that he’d “love” for Revis to return to the Jets.
- The team has already reached out to everyone on its list of general manager candidates, per Johnson. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), one candidate to hear from the Jets is Vikings assistant GM George Paton, who drew interest from New York during the club’s last GM hunt as well.