Saints Executive, Potential Jaguars Target Terry Fontenot Doesn't Get Broncos' GM Job

George Paton is the newest general manager of the Denver Broncos, meaning one potential Jaguars general manager target is still available.

A potential target for the Jacksonville Jaguars' general manager vacancy has been passed over for one of the league's open jobs, a possible win for the Jaguars.

New Orleans Saints Vice President/Assistant General Manager Terry Fontenot looked to be a leading candidate for the Denver Broncos' general manager job, but the Broncos ultimately decided on longtime Minnesota Vikings executive George Paton on Wednesday.

“I feel like this team is a sleeping giant. For me, it is the right place and the right time for this opportunity.”

Statement from our new GM George Paton: pic.twitter.com/qkyZnbPY3x

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 13, 2021

The Jaguars held a virtual interview with Fontenot this week, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Fontenot is also reportedly a candidate for the general manager openings with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, so the Jaguars and Broncos are far from the only teams who are looking at the Saints executive. 

Saints ass't GM Terry Fontenot's name remains a hot one—not only did he have a second interview for the Broncos GM job this morning, he interviewed (virtually) for the Jaguars GM job right after meeting with Denver.

Fontenot remains a strong candidate for the Falcons GM job too.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 12, 2021

Fontenot has been a member of the Saints organization for 16 years, putting him in high demand due to the respect he has earned within one of the NFL's most successful teams over that period of time. 

"His responsibilities in managing the pro personnel department include recommending player acquisitions by evaluating players from all professional leagues, including the Saints roster, monitoring the waiver wire and supervising the advance scouting of upcoming opponents," the Saints' website reads. 

The Jaguars have yet to hire a general manager or head coach during this year's cycle, despite having vacancies at both spots. The head coach vacancy has only been open for nine days, but the general manager role has been ready to be filled for much longer.

“Well, I’ll tell you, I think ideally, you want to hire them about the same time. What I learned, and I think it’s really true, it doesn’t get quite the visibility, but the current environment is, the head coaches, the kind of coaches you want, they want to be able to work very closely with the general manager on the personnel side," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said on January 4 after firing head coach Doug Marrone. 

"The key thing, how we would be structuring this is that I’m going to have the general manager and the head coach report directly to me. And that way, really, you have the transparency and the needs and concerns of both parties without really getting filtered or have a chain of command. And that’s really what necessitates that you basically hire them about the same time and really you have a perfect alignment, which you need in a winning organization.”

Former Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell was fired on Nov. 29 after the Jaguars fell to 1-10 following a home loss to the Cleveland Browns. Caldwell served as Jacksonville's general manager since 2013, giving him nearly eight seasons in the role.

In his nearly eight years with the Jaguars, Caldwell compiled a 39-87 record as general manager (counting postseason). The Jaguars lost a double-digit amount of games in every one of these seasons but 2017.

The Jaguars hold the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after finishing 1-15, the worst record in franchise history. The next general manager will have a lot of work to do to rebuild the roster after years of mismanagement, but the executive will also have 11 draft picks (including four in the first two rounds), a great cap situation, and the ability to spend his first draft pick on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.