There are still three games remaining in the 2024 season, but the New York Jets have their eye on the future.
On Monday, the Jets announced they interviewed former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff for their vacant general manager position. New York needs a new GM after it fired Joe Douglas earlier this season.
While Dimitroff is best known for his time with the Falcons, he was also a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns early in his career.
He then joined the New England Patriots in 2002 and was promoted to director of college scouting after just one season. He helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls during his tenure before he was Atlanta’s GM from 2008-20.
The Falcons went to the playoffs six times during Dimitroff’s tenure, including when they advanced to the Super Bowl during the 2016 campaign.
Perhaps most notably, he drafted quarterback Matt Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in his first NFL draft with Atlanta in 2008. All Ryan did was go on to become a league MVP, four-time Pro Bowler and the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Dimitroff also sent five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns for the opportunity to select wide receiver Julio Jones with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2011 draft.
Jones was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro selection who is Atlanta’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards.
Dimitroff was named the NFL Executive of the Year in 2008 and 2010 when he was with the Falcons. As the Jets’ announcement explained, he has since helped create SumerSports, which is a football analytics company that focuses on roster management in the NFL.
New York could certainly use a better approach to roster management, as it is just 4-10 this season. This will be its ninth consecutive losing season, and its last playoff win came during the 2010 campaign.
Things have gone anything but according to plan with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and there will be plenty of question marks about his future in the upcoming offseason.
It will be a difficult situation for the new GM to navigate, and the Jets interviewed a notable candidate Monday as they attempt to find the right answer to help them turn things around in the immediate future.
