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Deion Sanders Begs Jets Not To Fumble GM Candidate After Interview

Colorado's coach dropped some advice for the Jets' general manager search.

Eva Geitheim

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. / Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
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The New York Jets' search for their head coach and general manager vacancies are underway. After firing general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh in the middle of a disappointing 2024 campaign, the the Jets are looking for new leaders to run the team.

The organization has already spoken with multiple candidates for both openings, including an interview with ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, which was conducted on Thursday.

After it was announced the Jets had interviewed Riddick, Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders posted a clear message to the Jets not to fumble their opportunity with Riddick.

"Jets Please don’t mess this up and I pray this was a real interview and not that other thang y’all do," Sanders wrote on X. "This man deserves a REAL CHANCE! He is knowledge & Class personified!"

Sanders and Riddick were briefly teammates on the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. Though Riddick did not have as successful of a playing career as Sanders, he went on to work as a scout for both Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles. He later became a Director of Pro Personnel for both organizations.

After his time with the Eagles, Riddick joined ESPN as an analyst. He has yet to work as a general manager, but he has prior qualifications for the role despite recently working in the sports media landscape. Riddick has previously interviewed for a general manager vacancy with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, but the Steelers opted to hire an internal candidate, current general manager Omar Khan.

The Jets have also conducted interviews for their opening with former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson. For their head coach opening, the Jets have interviewed two experienced candidates—former Commanders and Panthers coach Ron Rivera and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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