Aug 17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Jets helmets during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.
The New York Jets have endured an awful season, and momentous change is on the way.
After the Minnesota Vikings toppled the Jets in London seven weeks ago, New York fired head coach Robert Saleh — which emphatically did not solve the problem. It might’ve intensified it.
Fast forward to this week, and the Jets also canned general manager Joe Douglas, who had held the top boss title since 2019. The next man or woman will likely flip the script and totally overhaul everything. And according to ESPN, New York could explore a current Vikings personality, senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained this week, “An intriguing candidate has to actually want the Jets general manager job. This will not be the most desirable opening. But since general managers enjoy longer tenures than head coaches, and only 32 of these jobs exist, the candidate pool will be fairly strong.”
Fowler then named-dropped Grigson: “Winners are an easy place to start. Several executives play a pivotal role in the roster building and culture of contenders, including Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby, Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Texans executive vice president of player personnel James Liipfert, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl and Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander — a former lieutenant of Douglas’ in New York.”
Grigson arrived in the Twin Cities at the dawn of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell era (2022) and has served as senior vice president of player personnel since. Some Vikings fans have “blamed” Grigson, in part, for some of the poor draft choices since 2022, but little evidence corroborates the theory.
Here’s Grigson’s NFL resume to date:
St. Louis Rams (1999–2003)
— National scout and area scout
Philadelphia Eagles (2004–2005)
— Western regional scout
Philadelphia Eagles (2006–2009)
— Director of college scouting
Philadelphia Eagles (2010–2011)
— Director of player personnel
Indianapolis Colts (2012–2016)
— General manager
Cleveland Browns (2017)
— Senior personnel executive
Seattle Seahawks (2018–2019)
— Senior football consultant
Cleveland Browns (2020–2021)
— Senior football advisor
Minnesota Vikings (2022–present)
— Senior vice president of player personnel
Grigson is most famous for selecting Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft as the Colts’ general manager. On Grigson’s watch, Indianapolis showcased a 49-31 (.613) winning percentage.
New York has stated its rationale for firing Douglas before the offseason to get a head start on the search for his replacement, so a new boss could named in the coming weeks.
Grigson will turn 53 in February.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.