Jets have interviews scheduled with 5 general manager targets, waiting on Ravens' Eric DeCosta
on December 31, 2014 at 1:07 PM, updated December 31, 2014 at 1:39 PM
Yes, Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton has declined to interview with the Jets for their GM vacancy.
But there are a few other guys who might want the job. Five, to be exact.
In-house candidate Rod Graves is interviewing Wednesday.
The following four executives also have interviews set up with the Jets, though the dates of all these interviews remain unclear:
• Seahawks pro personnel director Trent Kirchner (interviewing this weekend)
• Texans college scouting director Mike Maccagnan
• Eagles pro personnel director Rick Mueller
• Browns executive chief of staff Bill Kuharich
The Jets are still waiting to hear back from Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta, who has turned down numerous GM job overtures in recent years, including an interview offer from the Jets in 2013, when they hired John Idzik.
If you're scoring along at home, here's our handy, frequently updated list of the Jets' GM and head coach targets, including which candidates have agreed to be interviewed.
DeCosta seems to be the biggest fish out there for the Jets, now that Paton is out of the mix. Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun has some interesting details about what makes DeCosta so difficult for teams to lure away from the Ravens.
It's mainly that he is the team's general manager in waiting, for when Ozzie Newsome retires. DeCosta has been the assistant GM since 2012. He makes GM-level money, too.
Here's Wilson:
DeCosta is annually a top target of NFL teams seeking a new personnel boss, but has been hesitant to leave the Ravens due to his strong position here.
DeCosta has a lucrative contract that compensates him at a level commensurate with NFL general manager and has strong family ties in Baltimore.
Two years ago, DeCosta issued a statement through the team saying he had no plans to leave the organization.
"I love being a part of the Ravens and plan to stay here and help them win championships," DeCosta said in a statement. "I have no intentions of leaving this team."
So while DeCosta might just go the same route as Paton, and decline the Jets' interview offer (as both men have made a practice of doing, with several offers), the Jets still have some options available for GM candidates.
Darryl Slater may be reached at
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