Jets are gonna Jet.
Amid reports of furniture-tossing dysfunction that led to the dismissal of their general manager earlier this week, Mike Florio of NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk reports that the Jets are pursuing a big name and "great strategic thinker" to pair with new coach Adam Gase and replace the fired Mike Maccagnan.
Enter Peyton Manning?
From Florio:
Rumors are flying within league circles that the Jets may make a run at the future Hall of Fame quarterback who has periodically been linked to NFL management possibilities. And Gase, who worked with Manning in Denver, possibly would be one of the few guys who could draw Manning back into football.
“It’s more than a talent-evaluation guy,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said Wednesday. “I want a great manager, a communicator, who can collaborate well with the building. I’m convinced we’re going to find that person.”
So, while his brother Eli may be exiting MetLife Stadium soon as Giants quarterback, Peyton would be entering as the guy to resurrect the Jets, work with Gase (who was QB coach and offensive coordinator with Manning with the Broncos), mentor second-year QB Sam Darnold and break the Patriots' stranglehold on the AFC East.
The big IF, of course, is if Manning, 43, who retired after leading Denver to the Super Bowl title after 2015 season, is indeed interested in the job. He's been pursued as a TV analyst, most recently turned down ESPN's offer to join the "Monday Night Football" booth and is the host and executive producer of “Peyton’s Places”, a series looking at the 100-year history of the NFL that will air on ESPN+ this summer.
New England Patriots
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