We might have accidentally discovered who the next New York Jets general manager will be.
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was recently asked about his vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan – who has taken multiple GM interviews this offseason.
“He’ll be missed,” Gutekunst responded.
Eric Edholm of the NFL Media Group reacted to that quote by saying, “Sounds like Gutey knows JES is getting a GM job.”
Sullivan has only interviewed for two general manager jobs this offseason – the Tennessee Titans and the Jets. On Friday, January 17 the Titans announced that they have signed former Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi to a five-year deal to become the next GM.
That only leaves one other team that has spoken with Jon-Eric Sullivan.
It’s important to note that the Las Vegas Raiders have requested an interview with Sullivan, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. However, he has yet to take part in that interview at the time of publication.
We Might be Jumping to Conclusions
A huge shout-out to Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor for putting these pieces together.
It’s very feasible that Sullivan interviewed with the Jets and it went so great that he had a feeling he was getting the NYJ job and shared that information with Gutekunst. Who then felt so confident that Sullivan was leaving he put out that “he’ll be missed” comment.
However, this whole thing feels a bit presumptuous.
The Jets haven’t even started their second round of interviews for their next GM yet at the time of this article. Whoever those individuals are will be the finalists for the position.
“Gutekunst also said Sullivan would be missed, but he probably thought Sullivan might get the Titans job since TN team president was in GB for 13 [years]. Sullivan [is] certainly a possibility for [the] Jets but he just interviewed & has one with the Raiders, too. Wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Jets analyst Scott Mason said on social media.
What Impact Would a Sullivan Hire Have on Aaron Rodgers’ Future With The Jets?
Sullivan is certainly a candidate at the very least for the Jets if not one of the leading figures.
He has spent the last 21 years with the Packers. This means 18 of those years Sullivan crossed over with Aaron Rodgers while they were both in Green Bay.
I would imagine Sullivan having prior experience with Rodgers would only help his chances of potentially returning in 2025.
People who don’t know Rodgers personally and judge from the outside could have a lot of different feelings and could make assumptions than people who have gotten to know him.
I can speak for myself that I thought I knew what Rodgers was all about before he got traded to the Jets. Then I got to know him intimately through tons of interviews, press conferences, books, and deep-dive articles from insiders and Jets-beat reporters alike.
I had a much different perspective and appreciation for getting to know him on a deeper level.
Jets owner Woody Johnson has let it be known that the future of Rodgers on the Jets will be decided by the next head coach and general manager of the team.
Rodgers still hasn’t decided if he is going to retire this offseason. However a looming meeting between Rodgers and the next HC/GM could push him in one direction or the other based on whether they want him back in the fold.
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