Jets interview former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff for their GM vacancy
Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
The New York Jets interviewed former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Monday for their GM vacancy.
The team announced it completed its meeting with Dimitroff, the first known candidate to interview with the Jets. Dimitroff was the Falcons’ GM from 2008 until midway through the 2020 season. He helped build Atlanta’s squad that went to the Super Bowl during the 2016 season.
Jets GM Joe Douglas was fired on Nov. 19 after New York went 30-64 and had no winning seasons in his tenure of five-plus years. Phil Savage, who has served as a senior football adviser since 2019, has filled in as the interim general manager.
The Jets are also in the market for a head coach after Robert Saleh was fired on Oct. 8 and replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim. New York, which won 32-25 at Jacksonville on Sunday, is 4-10 this season and 2-7 since Saleh was fired.
Owner Woody Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to assist them in their two searches. Tannenbaum and former Dolphins and Vikings GM Rick Spielman are helping identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews.
The Jets reportedly will also speak to former Tennessee GM Jon Robinson and former Washington and Philadelphia front office executive Louis Riddick, a former NFL player and current ESPN analyst.
Dimitroff was New England’s director of college scouting from 2003 until 2007 before he was hired by Atlanta. He drafted quarterback Matt Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in his first offseason with the Falcons, who had five straight winning seasons and went to the playoffs four times in Dimitroff’s first five years. Dimitroff also made a blockbuster trade during the 2011 NFL draft to move up from No. 26 to No. 6 to select wide receiver Julio Jones, who became one of the league’s most productive playmakers.
Atlanta went to the Super Bowl in February 2017 and held a 28-3 lead in the third quarter before Tom Brady rallied New England to a 34-28 overtime victory.
Dimitroff helped create SumerSports, an Atlanta-based football analytics company, in January 2022.
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