New York Jets Interview Thomas Dimitroff for General Manager Opening

The New York Jets have conducted their first interview for their open general manager position with Thomas Dimitroff.

Feb 25, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

True to their word, the New York Jets announced their first interview for their open general manager job — and it was not with either reported candidate on Sunday.

The Jets announced via social media that they interviewed former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Monday, the first of what is certain to be a long list of interview for the position as the season winds down.

On Sunday, before the Jets faced the Jacksonville Jaguars, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that New York would interview at least two candidates for the job — ESPN's Louis Riddick and former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson.

Those interviews could happen this week. But Dimitroff beat both to the punch. They can be interviewed now because they are not employed by an NFL team.

Dimitroff has been in NFL personnel for 30 years, working as a scout and general manager, most notably with the Atlanta Falcons, where as general manager from 2008-20 he was twice named NFL executive of the year.

He helped build the Falcons into a Super Bowl team by 2016, where Atlanta lost to New England in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. In his first draft he selected quarterback Matt Ryan and hired Dan Quinn to his first head-coaching job. He also engineered the trade to acquire wide receiver Julio Jones.

Since he was fired in 2020, he helped create a football analytics company called SumerSports, where he is the CEO.

He was a scout for three different NFL teams before he joined the New England Patriots in 2002, where he was promoted to national scout. He eventually became the team’s director of college scouting and helped the franchise build two Super Bowl champions with Bill Belichick as head coach.

The Jets fired general manager Joe Douglas last month, who was hired six years ago and failed to get New York into the playoffs. Phil Savage, a former NFL general manager, is the interim GM.

The Jets announced a partnership with The 33rd team, a search firm managed by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to help facilitate the search for both a general manager and a head coach.

When the future interviews for both Robinson and Riddick were first reported, it was also reported the Jets would be transparent during the interview process and announce when those interviews were completed. So, Dimitroff’s announcement is the first.

It’s expected that Johnson will hire a general manager first and then a head coach, though there is reporting that he’s flexible about the order, depending on the candidate.