Jesse Kaye, who spent decades as a scout but is best remembered for an evaluation of one player in the 2000 NFL draft, has died at the age of 79.
Kaye worked for the Jets in 2000 and reportedly lobbied aggressively for the Jets to draft Michigan quarterback Tom Brady. The Jets didn’t draft Brady, the Patriots did, and the rest was history.
Kaye died on Saturday at a Green Bay health care facility. Kaye played college football at Wisconsin and worked for the Packers for five years.
In addition to the Packers and Jets, Kaye spent time scouting for the Steelers, and for the BLESTO scouting service.