On Wednesday, in a surprise move, the Jets fired General Manager Mike Maccagnan.
“The city that never sleeps.”
This famous phrase about New York sang by Frank Sinatra, is synonymous with the city. Above all, I think it’ll be Jets’ fans that won’t be sleeping…
It was surprising since they had fired Todd Bowles in December. Bowles had been hired in 2015 shortly after Maccagnan was made GM. Therefore, the Jets could have fired Bowles and Maccagnan together. But instead decided to keep Maccagnan. In reports since his departure, journalists have cited a toxic relationship between him and Adam Gase as one of the main reasons for his departure.
Free Agency Frenzy
It was an astonishing move by the Jets because during free agency Gase and Maccagnan spent a lot of money. The Jets are the only team in the NFL that has committed at least $15 million in guaranteed money to four different free agents since March 13th. Those four players are CJ Mosley, Jamison Crowder, Le’Veon Bell and Henry Anderson. Do these players want to play for the Jets? Will they stay with the team? Why not bring in players that Adam Gase wants, that’ll fit his system and the team can afford? Therefore these are questions that will be keeping Jets fans up at night due to the team firing Maccagnan.
The Jets had the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, as well as five other selections. Maccagnan spent all offseason evaluating the roster, the college players and effectively ran the entire draft process for the team. So why did they keep Maccagnan for all of that if he was going to be let go three weeks afterwards? It seems crazy to think that the Jets believed this was the right way to go about business. Will these draft picks end up with other teams? Now that they might not suit the team.
Finally, with it happening now there seems to be no true successor. The Jets are now stuck in purgatory looking for a GM to come and help run the team.
Normality in New York?
Although in the bigger picture, it wasn’t surprising. It was almost normal. This is what bad teams do. With the constant changing and turnover, whether it is on the field, the sideline or in the front office. Displays that lack of trust and dysfunction that runs through the veins of a bad team; The Jets are a bad team.
This constant turmoil is one of the reasons why the Jets have been so bad for so long. For example, they have the 3rd longest drought for reaching the Super Bowl in the NFL, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2009 and have finished last in the AFC East in all but one season since 2014.
Maccagnan has drafted some good players such as Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams and Quinnen Williams. However, he’s has missed on too many players with high draft picks such as Christian Hackenberg, Devin Smith and Daron Lee. If the signings of Bell and Mosley can add some strength to the team, his term in New York might be seen with rose-tinted glasses in the future.
However, with no clear replacement on the books, it looks like another sign that the Jets. Even with Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams and co, have a steep hill to climb towards relevancy in the NFL.
Image from www.nydailynews.com
Alex Riley is a 49ers fan who’s followed the game since 2010, He’s currently at the University of Leicester. You can find him on Twitter at @NFLRiley and his blog at www.rileynfl.wordpress.com
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