Surprising figure will help Jets in search for new coach and GM
Oct 2, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A surprising figure will assist the New York Jets in their search for a new coach and general manager, and fans are not necessarily thrilled with it.
The Jets are retaining The 33rd Team, a media and technology organization that bills itself as a football think tank, to assist the organization in the search for a new coach and general manager. The interesting angle is that The 33rd Team is co-founded by longtime Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Jets are retaining The 33rd Team to support them on their upcoming general manager and head coaching searches.
Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Vikings general manager Rick Spielman will lead the project for the NFL Technology and Media company. The 33rd Team… pic.twitter.com/NfRwDt39cA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2024
Tannenbaum was a member of the Jets organization from 1997 to 2012, including a stint as GM from 2006 to 2012. The Jets went to two AFC Championship games during his tenure, but the ensuing collapse has not made him popular among Jets fans. His recent media career, and some of the takes he has put forward during it, have not exactly enhanced his reputation.
Unsurprisingly, there was a great deal of skepticism toward giving Tannenbaum any role in the Jets’ process, with some joking that Tannenbaum might wind up trying to hire himself.
The Jets saw this and said "Get Mike Tannenbaum on the phone" https://t.co/cajMd8FgbX
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) November 25, 2024
I wouldn’t let Mike Tannenbaum decide what I was having for lunch https://t.co/KLtSN2CyvW
— Soapboxmox (@SoapBoxMox) November 25, 2024
This is why the Jets are perpetually bad. The leadership decisions are atrocious. FYi, our wonderful team owner, @woodyjohnson4 fired Mike Tannenbaum as a GM years ago for making poor football decisions…and now he's in charge of making the two most important football decisions. https://t.co/ALaxuMs6qe
— Ladi Dadi (@Loki_013) November 25, 2024
Asking Mike Tannenbaum for advice on who should be your next head coach and GM should be enough reason to be forced to sell your franchise https://t.co/xVrvS2HeEy
— Sweet Lou (@Louis_Ville) November 25, 2024
It is not clear how much of a hands-on role Tannenbaum will have with the search, and the Jets are under no obligation to act on his recommendations. Letting someone the team fired a decade ago have any say in the search process is not exactly cause for confidence, though. Maybe he will end up getting the old band back together.
The Jets are in the hunt for a new GM after firing Joe Douglas earlier this month. Many Jets fans hold ownership responsible for the current mess, though, and a move like this will only reinforce those perceptions.
