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The New York Jets have scheduled a second interview on Tuesday with former Detroit Lions senior director of player personnel and current Washington Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Per that report, Newmark is “said to have a strong relationship with both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn,” both potential candidates for the Jets’ head-coaching vacancy. The Jets are looking to hire both a general manager and head coach this offseason, with Newmark now among the frontrunners for the former.
Newmark spent 26 years with the Lions, with roles as an area scout (1999-04), national scout (2005-07), assistant director of college scouting (2008-14), director of college scouting (2015-16), director of player personnel (2016-21) and senior director of player personnel (2022-23). This past year, he served as the assistant general manager under Adam Peters in Washington, overseeing both the scouting and personnel departments.
The Jets have held a comprehensive search for a new general manager this offseason, interviewing Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Alec Halaby, Ray Farmer, Mike Borgonzi, Mike Greenberg, Darren Mougey, Chris Spielman, Trey Brown, Ryan Grigson, Jon-Eric Sullivan and Brian Gaine, alongside Newmark.
The team has also cast a wide net seeking a new head coach, interviewing Glenn, Ron Rivera, Mike Vrabel (since hired by the New England Patriots), Rex Ryan, Matt Nagy, Mike Locksley, Steve Spagnuolo, Darren Rizzi, Jeff Ulbrich, Vance Joseph, Arthur Smith, Bobby Slowik, Brian Flores, Jeff Hafley, Joe Whitt Jr. and Josh McCown for their head-coaching vacancy. Johnson, however, is not among the potential candidates they’ve interviewed.
The Jets are looking for a complete re-haul after a horrid 5-12 season in 2024, despite the team bringing aboard a number of high-profile veterans in recent years like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. The quarterback position remains a major concern, with Rodgers declining and his future up in the air, while the Woody Johnson ownership remains something of a mess.
The team’s next general manager will have quite the reclamation project to undertake, in other words, perhaps one reason why New York hasn’t been shy about bringing in plenty of options during its selection process.