Jets Hire Bill Musgrave As QBs Coach
The Jets finalized their offensive coaching staff on Tuesday, per a team announcement. Quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, offensive assistant/assistant QBs coach Thomas Merkle, assistant offensive line coach Al Netter and offensive assistant Matthew Sargent are among their new additions.
Merkle, Nettle and Sargent all spent last season at Stanford, where they worked on interim head coach Frank Reich‘s staff. They’re now following Reich, the Jets’ new offensive coordinator, to the pros.
Musgrave, the most notable and established hire in this quartet, is a former NFL QB whose experience as a coach dates back to the late 1990s. He began as the Raiders’ QBs coach in 1997 and has gone on to hold that position with several other teams, including the Browns in 2025. The 58-year-old is also a multi-time offensive coordinator in the league, most recently with the Broncos in 2018.
Cleveland had a less-than-ideal situation under center last season, when Musgrave coached Joe Flacco before an early October trade to Cincinnati. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders divided the rest of the season as the Browns’ starter, and the team went on to finish 31st in passing.
The only club that had less success through the air in 2025 was the Jets, who averaged a meager 140.3 yards per game (the Browns put up 165.2). They may wipe the slate clean at QB this offseason as a result, though there is mutual interest in re-signing journeyman backup Tyrod Taylor. The Jets are expected to release Justin Fields, which would leave Brady Cook and Hendon Hooker as the only signal-callers in the building if they don’t re-sign Taylor.
Considering they have no in-house answers at the position, the Jets are strong candidates to explore free agency and the trade market for QB additions this offseason. With that in mind, it’s worth pointing out a couple of Musgrave’s former pupils will be available.
The 41-year-old Flacco, an ex- Jet, is scheduled to reach the open market next month. There’s also Derek Carr, who played under Musgrave in Oakland from 2015-16, as a potential trade target. Carr didn’t play last season, but the soon-to-be 35-year-old may come out of retirement in 2026. For what it’s worth, he’s a Musgrave fan.
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around when it comes to analytics numbers and percentages and things like that,” Carr said of Musgrave in 2018 (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “He’s one of the smartest people that I’ve ever been around.’’
Although the Saints still hold Carr’s rights, they’re not going to demand anything of real value in a trade. The Jets could end up among the teams interested in Carr as a cheap stopgap, especially given his connection to Musgrave. They pursued Carr when his stock was much higher in 2023, but he ultimately joined the Saints on a four-year, $150MM deal. After striking out on Carr, the Jets pivoted to an Aaron Rodgers trade with the Packers.
Cardinals Will Look To Trade Kyler Murray
The possibility of the Cardinals retaining quarterback Kyler Murray for 2026 came up three weeks ago, but his future in the desert remains iffy at best. The team is “likely to move on” from the 28-year-old, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Arizona is hoping to find a trade partner for Murray, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. He’ll “absolutely” be on the trade market, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom hears.
The Cardinals haven’t changed their stance on Murray despite their recent head coaching change, one general manager told La Canfora.
“He’s still gone,” said the GM, who’s seeking a QB but doesn’t have interest in Murray.
Arizona fired the defensive-minded Jonathan Gannon and replaced him with Mike LaFleur, previously the Rams’ offensive coordinator. The Cardinals seem more likely to keep Jacoby Brissett after he started most of 2025 in place of an injured Murray.
“We hear they are going with (Jacoby) Brissett and want to get Kyler out of there,” a top personnel executive informed La Canfora.
It would behoove the Cardinals to get rid of Murray by March 15, the day $19.5 million of his 2027 base salary becomes guaranteed. He’s already guaranteed $36.8MM for next season. The Cardinals would surely have to pay down some of Murray’s contract in a deal, but finding a taker would benefit their salary cap outlook.
Trading Murray before June 1 would save the team $34.74MM and lead to a $17.92MM dead cap hit in 2026. A post-June 1 swap wouldn’t be as helpful, but the Cardinals would still free up $24.94MM while spreading $34.72MM in dead money over two years ($27.72MM in ’26, $7.2MM in ’27).
Releasing Murray would point to a far worse cap situation for Arizona. If done before March 15, the club would absorb a $54.72MM dead money charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. Cutting him between March 15 and June 1 would create an untenable $77.25MM in dead money and take away $24.59MM in cap room. The post-June 1 option wouldn’t be much better. The Cardinals would spread the $77.25MM over two years (including $70.05MM next season) while losing $17.39MM in space in 2026.
Although cutting Murray would be a worst-case scenario for the Cardinals, it would be a positive development for teams in need of a starting signal-caller. On a minimum salary, Murray would be an “incredibly attractive” option around the league, Rapoport says.
Now coming off his seventh NFL campaign, Murray’s stock has sharply declined since he signed a five-year, $230.5MM extension in July 2022. At that point, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick wasn’t far removed from earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019. He went on to pick up Pro Bowl nods in each of the next two seasons.
In 2021, still Murray’s best season, the dual threat helped the Cardinals to 11 wins and a playoff berth. The Cardinals, who took a brutal 34-11 loss to the Rams in the wild-card round, haven’t returned to the playoffs or even finished above .500 in any season since. They’ve axed two head coaches (Gannon and Kliff Kingsbury, who had some success with Murray) during their four-year postseason drought.
Murray’s career began trending downward in 2022, the first season after he landed his mega-deal. He struggled over the first two-plus months before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 14. Murray’s recovery kept him out until the following November, limiting him to eight games.
To his credit, Murray rebounded to a noticeable degree in 2024. During his lone 17-game season to date, he completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a personal-high 63.4 QBR. As a runner, he scampered for 572 yards on a robust 7.3 per carry and found the end zone five more times.
In the wake of Murray’s bounce-back season, the arrow was finally pointing up for him and the Cardinals 12 months ago. With improved play from a healthy Murray, the Cardinals went 8-9 and recorded a plus-21 point differential. It was an encouraging step forward for a club that combined for a grisly 8-26 mark and a minus-234 point differential from 2022-23.
Neither Murray nor the Cardinals were able to build on last year’s progress in 2025. They finished an awful 3-14, and Murray missed 12 games with a foot injury. Murray’s time in Arizona may now be on the verge of ending, but even he’s unsure how things will play out, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.
In the seemingly improbable event Murray stays put (which ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler contends is still on the table), Brissett would emerge as a trade candidate, Fowler relays.
On a manageable $4.88 base salary in 2o26, Brissett could be of interest to several teams looking for either a stopgap starter or a capable backup. The Falcons and Jets are among the clubs that could pursue Brissett, per Fowler.
As Fowler points out, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski and Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich are familiar with Brissett. He played for Stefanski in Cleveland in 2022 and under Reich (then the Colts’ HC) from 2018-20.
Final 2026 NFL Draft Order
With Super Bowl LX in the books, the full 2026 NFL draft order has been set. Free agency is not far away, but attention will increasingly turn to April’s event as the offseason progresses.
The top of the first-round order is not subject to much in the way of speculation. The Raiders own the No. 1 selection and are widely seen as the landing spot for Fernando Mendoza, the lone quarterback regarded as a first-round lock at this point. How other QB-needy teams positioned throughout the order operate over the coming weeks – knowing there is a lack of high-end prospects this year – will make for an interesting storyline around the league.
This year’s NFL Combine will begin on February 23. Events such as the Senior Bowl have already taken place, leaving the Combine as the next major checkpoint in the evaluation of top prospects. Teams will begin arranging ‘Top 30’ visits with several players of interest relatively soon during the build-up to the draft. This year’s event will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.
Pending the inevitable trades which will shake up the order, here is a final look at how things stand leading up to Day 1:
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)
- New York Jets (3-14)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-14)
- Tennessee Titans (3-14)
- New York Giants (4-13)
- Cleveland Browns (5-12)
- Washington Commanders (5-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-11)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-11)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)
- Miami Dolphins (7-10)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Detroit Lions (9-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
- Carolina Panthers (8-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
- Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars)
- Chicago Bears (11-6)
- Buffalo Bills (12-5)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
- Houston Texans (12-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
- Denver Broncos (14-3)
- New England Patriots (14-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
NFL Coaching Updates: Steelers, Slowik, Falcons, Ravens, Cowboys
Mike McCarthy‘s new coaching staff in Pittsburgh continues to fill out as a couple more expected hires were reported this week. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Texas Tech outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You is expected to head to the NFL for the same job with the Steelers, while Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS relayed the expectations that Derius Swinton II would be hired as senior special teams assistant.
A former NFL defensive end who appeared in 33 games with the Rams, Ah You turned to coaching following the end of his playing career. Apart from a brief stint in the XFL, Ah You has only coached at the collegiate level. He started as a special teams quality control coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma, before heading to a defensive line coaching job at Vanderbilt. Following his XFL gig, Ah You spent a year as a QC analyst at USC before landing in Lubbock in 2022. The Red Raiders finished the 2025 season with the sixth-most sacks in the country, and top pass rushers David Bailey and Romello Height made strong cases to be Day 1 picks.
Swinton heads to Pittsburgh after a three-year stint in Las Vegas, where he weathered the turnover of three different head coaches. Swinton has twice served single-season tenures as a special teams coordinator and was named to the interim role in Vegas last year after Tom McMahon‘s exit. He won’t be asked to fill the role of coordinator in Pittsburgh, but his experience after having worked in nine different NFL systems could be valuable to the Steelers in 2026.
Here are a few other coaching updates from around the NFL:
- Per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Jets are expected to hire Ryan Slowik to the position of safeties coach. Having coached on and off in the NFL since 2005, Slowik has only held position coaching roles in five seasons. He served as outside linebackers coach of the Cardinals in 2012, held the same position in Cleveland in 2016, and was named to the same role with the Dolphins in 2023 before moving the defensive backs coach/pass game specialist for the past two seasons in Miami. As second year head coach Aaron Glenn continues to rework his coaching staff, he’ll trust his secondary to Slowik and defensive backs coach Chris Harris.
- Zenitz of CBS Sports also reported yesterday that the Ravens are hiring Patrick Kramer to a role on their offensive staff. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec clarified that Kramer’s role will be as a quality control coach. Zrebiec also reported that Rick Minter, the father of the team’s new head coach, will also join Baltimore’s staff after serving as a defensive consultant for the Chargers. Joining both Minters in the move, per Zrebiec, will be Christina DeRuyter. She worked in Los Angeles last year as the team’s director of football logistics.
- The Falcons announced that they have hired Matt Jones to the position of assistant offensive line coach. Jones comes over from Tennessee, where he started as an assistant offensive line coach in 2023 before moving to offensive assistant for the past two years. Jones will work under new offensive line coach Bill Callahan who retained Jones on the Titans’ staff when he became the team’s head coach.
- Lastly, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the Cowboys have hired Robert Muschamp as a defensive quality control coach. The nephew of Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, the younger Muschamp worked most recently as a defensive quality control coach with the Chargers, specifically working with outside linebackers.
Jets Hire Two Former Pittsburgh Staffers
As Jets head coach Aaron Glenn continues to shuffle his staff in Year 2, he added a pair of former Steelers staffers freed up by expiring contracts and the departure of Mike Tomlin from Pittsburgh. He also looked at an internal candidate to fill a vacant role on his defensive staff.
On Wednesday, New York announced that Karl Dunbar would be trading out his black and yellow for green and white as the Jets’ new defensive line coach. Dunbar should be fairly familiar with the role, considering he held it from 2012-14. In addition to his two stints with the Jets, the veteran 58-year-old assistant has held DL coaching roles with college powerhouses LSU and Alabama and the Bears, Vikings, Bills, and Steelers in the NFL.
A five-year stint in Minnesota saw him build the “Williams Wall,” coaching interior defenders Kevin Williams and Pat Williams on the league’s best run defense for three straight seasons. Arriving in Pittsburgh the year after Cameron Heyward‘s first first-team All-Pro season, Dunbar’s defensive lines with the Steelers became notorious for bringing pressure as other contributors like Javon Hargrave, Stephon Tuitt, Chris Wormley, Keeanu Benton, and Derrick Harmon all scheduled frequent meetings at the quarterback over his eight-year tenure.
Joining Dunbar in the trip from Pittsburgh is tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts who, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, will be assuming the same role in New York. Roberts started his coaching career working two years at FAU as running backs coach and spending two more with the Owls coaching wide receivers. After that, apart from a single 2016 season in which he coached tight ends at Indiana’s high school powerhouse Carmel, the 60-year-old assistant has enjoyed a 22-year career as an NFL coach. Aside from a three-year stint as a running backs coach with the Chargers, his NFL career has been spent solely as a tight ends coach with stops at Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh.
He’s coached such veterans as Marcedes Lewis in Jacksonville, Kellen Winslow in both Cleveland and Tampa Bay, Dallas Clark, Coby Fleener, and Dwayne Allen in Indianapolis, Hunter Henry in Los Angeles, and Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Jonnu Smith in Pittsburgh. He’ll take over a position room that should return talented rookie Mason Taylor in 2026.
Lastly in New York, as the Jets looks to replace linebackers coach Aaron Curry, one of several departures shortly after the end of the 2025 season, Glenn has opted to interview Nathaniel Willingham for a potential promotion, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The son of storied collegiate head coach Tyrone Willingham, Nathaniel first came to the NFL as a quality control coach for the Broncos in 2019 after a four-year stint at Stanford. He joined the Jets in 2022 as a defensive assistant, was promoted to defensive backs/nickelbacks coach in 2024, and was retained as assistant linebackers coach last year. He’ll how hope to earn his way back to a position coaching role under Glenn for 2026.
Tyrod Taylor Open To Re-Signing With Jets
After spending the past two seasons with the Jets, well-traveled quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a few weeks away from returning to free agency on March 11. Regardless of whether he hits the open market, Taylor is open to re-signing with the Jets, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.
Taylor revealed that the Jets expressed interest in re-signing him at the end of the season, though the 36-year-old acknowledged “conversations in January are different than conversations in March.”
The Jets have since moved on from offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who lasted just one year on the job. They replaced Engstrand with the experienced Frank Reich on Wednesday and then hired Seth Ryan as their passing game coordinator on Saturday.
While Taylor believes “[Engstrand] has a promising career” ahead of him, he’s excited about the possibility of working with Reich.
“I think going out and getting coach Frank Reich was a good move,” he said. “I know he’s had a ton of success throughout this league. If I do go back to the Jets, I’m looking forward to seeing what that looks like and what are the next steps.”
It’s unclear which QBs Reich and Ryan will coach in 2026, but it’s fair to say the Jets don’t have any obvious solutions in the fold. The team took a fairly expensive gamble on former first-round pick Justin Fields in free agency last March, but the two-year, $40MM pact with $30MM in guarantees hasn’t worked out at all. Head coach Aaron Glenn benched Fields for the rest of the season in mid-November, and the Jets are expected to release the soon-to-be 27-year-old in the near future.
Fields and Brady Cook, who struggled mightily as an undrafted rookie, combined for 13 starts in 2025. The other four went to Taylor, but he also offered lackluster production. In parts of six games, Taylor completed just 59.7% of passes and posted a paltry 5.8 yards per attempt with five touchdowns, five interceptions and a 72.9 passer rating. Taylor suffered a groin injury in a Week 14 loss to the Dolphins and didn’t play again for the rest of the year.
Now a veteran of seven teams and 15 seasons, Taylor joined the Jets on a two-year, $12MM contract in 2024. Whether it’s with the Jets or another club, it’s doubtful he’ll do as well on his next deal. Taylor would be at the lower end of a veteran free agent class that’s currently set to include Daniel Jones, Malik Willis, former Jets teammate Aaron Rodgers, ex-Ravens teammate Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota and Russell Wilson, among others.
Jets Hire Seth Ryan As Passing Game Coordinator
After a year as the Lions’ assistant tight ends coach, Seth Ryan is taking over as the Jets’ passing game coordinator, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports. Ryan is the son of ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan and the grandson of former Jets defensive line coach Buddy Ryan.
Set to turn 32 in March, Seth Ryan is a former Clemson wide receiver whose coaching career began with the Chargers in 2019. He spent two years on Anthony Lynn‘s staff, but the Chargers fired Lynn after 2020. With Lynn then becoming the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ryan followed him to the Motor City. Although Lynn only held his job for a year, Ryan wound up lasting a half-decade on Dan Campbell‘s staff.
Ryan was the Lions’ assistant wide receivers coach from 2021-24, a period in which he mostly worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds. Unfortunately for Ryan, in his lone season with the Lions’ tight ends, starter Sam LaPorta missed eight games with a back injury.
Ryan will now take on a much bigger role in New York, where he’ll assist new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The two will aim for massive improvements to a Jets passing game that easily ranked last in the NFL in 2025. The team will head into the heart of the offseason without an answer at quarterback after big-money pickup Justin Fields flopped this past season.
Although the Jets signed Fields for a guaranteed $30MM last March, head coach Aaron Glenn benched him for the rest of the year in mid-November. The Jets are expected to move on from Fields sometime soon. Journeyman backup Tyrod Taylor is slated to hit free agency, though the club is interested in re-signing him for what should be a fairly cheap deal. The Jets also have Brady Cook, but he was in over his head as an undrafted rookie.
Along with seeking a capable QB in either free agency or the draft, where they own two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 16), the Jets will need to find more weapons in the passing game for Reich and Ryan. The Jets have a legitimate star in No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson and a promising tight end in Mason Taylor. There’s little else in the cupboard, though receivers Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie did see their production increase after the Jets acquired them in trades before the Nov. 4 deadline.
As recent second-round picks (Metchie in 2022, Mitchell in 2024), the Jets may continue to hope at least one of them turns into a consistent contributor. Even if that happens, the Jets would benefit from adding more receiving talent this offseason. They have the cap space and the draft capital to make it happen.
2026 NFL Offseason Outlook Series
Pro Football Rumors is breaking down how all 32 teams’ offseason blueprints are shaping up. Going forward, the Offseason Outlook series is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.
This post will be updated as more Outlooks are published.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
AFC West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
NFC North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Jets Hire Frank Reich As OC
After the Jets parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand last week, Frank Reich quickly became the favorite to replace him. The Jets will indeed hire Reich as their offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The 64-year-old Reich, who conducted his second interview with the Jets on Tuesday, beat out fellow veteran coaches Greg Roman and Darrell Bevell for the job. He’ll now return to the NFL after serving as the interim head coach at Stanford in 2025.
An NFL quarterback from 1985-1998, Reich spent the ’96 season with the Jets. Former defensive back and current Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was Reich’s teammate in New York. Thirty years later, Glenn is bringing in Reich to boost an offense that finished 29th in both points and yards this past season.
“Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure,” Glenn said in a team-issued statement. “He’s lived this game from every angle — as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who’s led offenses at the highest level. He is unique in his ability to see the game for what it is right now and adapt when appropriate. Frank understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players. I am looking forward to how he will help this team have success.”
Reich, who began his coaching career as an intern with the Colts in 2006, later worked as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator from 2014-15 and the Eagles’ OC between 2016-17. After winning a Super Bowl with backup QB Nick Foles in his last year in Philadelphia, Reich returned to Indianapolis in 2018 as its head coach.
In four-plus years with the Colts, Reich combined for a 40-33-1 record and two playoff berths despite instability under center. Andrew Luck was the Colts’ starter in Reich’s first year, but after his out-of-nowhere retirement in August 2019, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz each held the role in the ensuing three seasons. There was more upheaval at the position in 2022, when Matt Ryan succeeded Wentz. The Ryan-led Colts got off to 3-5-1 start that year, leading to Reich’s ouster.
Reich immediately received a second chance as Carolina’s head coach in 2023, former No. 1 pick Bryce Young‘s rookie year, but it was a disastrous stint. With the Panthers off to a 1-10 start, they pulled the plug on Reich. He spent 2024 out of football before reuniting with Luck, Stanford’s general manager, for a year.
In his return to the pros, Reich will once again enter into a less-than-ideal QB situation. The Jets, who easily finished last in passing in 2025, don’t have an in-house answer at the position. They could re-sign journeyman Tyrod Taylor, but he’s better off in a backup role.
While Justin Fields inked a two-year deal with $30MM in guarantees last March, the Jets are likely to release him after a rough season in which Glenn benched him for Taylor. Brady Cook made four starts as an undrafted rookie, but he didn’t look like any kind of solution during that stretch.
With the league’s fourth-most spending space (around $83.57MM, per Over the Cap), a pair of first-round picks and four selections in the top 44, the Jets are in position to upgrade at QB this offseason. That would help Reich’s cause, as would re-signing soon-to-be free agent running back Breece Hall. As of now, though, there’s little high-end offensive talent on hand outside of wide receiver Garrett Wilson, tight end Mason Taylor, and tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.
Glenn made it known during his OC search that he wanted Engstrand’s replacement to work as the “head coach of the offense.” With the experienced Reich now running the unit, Glenn will take on a bigger role on the defensive side in 2026. Glenn, who hired first-time D-coordinator Brian Duker last week, will call the defensive plays next season.
Giants Hire Dawn Aponte As Senior VP
Dawn Aponte is leaving the league office for an executive position with the Giants, according to Jordan Raanan and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Aponte will serve as the Giants’ senior vice president in football operations.
This ends a nine-year run with the league for Aponte, a Staten Island native who had been the NFL’s chief administrator of football operations since 2017. Working with a team isn’t anything new for Aponte, however. Since beginning as an accountant in 1994, Aponte has garnered significant experience with the Jets, Browns and Dolphins.
In her seven years before joining the league office, Aponte held three different titles in Miami, including executive VP of football administration for five seasons. Joe Schoen, now the Giants’ general manager, was a Dolphins employee during Aponte’s entire tenure with the organization.
In 2024, eight years after leaving the Dolphins, Aponte interviewed for the Chargers’ GM job. Then seeking a replacement for the fired Tom Telesco, the Chargers went on to hire Joe Hortiz. The Jets also interviewed Aponte for their GM opening before hiring Darren Mougey last year, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.
Aponte will now take on an important role in New York in replacing Kevin Abrams, whom the Giants let go last month after almost three decades with the franchise. Abrams’ ouster came shortly after the Giants hired head coach John Harbaugh, who has worked to reshape the organization early in his tenure.
Like Abrams, Aponte is known as a skilled contract negotiator. Aponte, who has a degree from New York Law School, will deal with matters related to contracts and the salary cap as a member of the Giants’ front office.