D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Nick Mangold. Darrelle Revis. David Harris. Bart Scott. Shonn Greene. Santonio Holmes. Braylon Edwards. Alan Faneca. Jim Leonhard. Damien Woody. Antonio Cromartie.
What do these players have in common?
Mike Tannenbaum brought them to the New York Jets. They were key cogs in the 2009 and/or 2010 AFC Championship teams.
And none of them have played in the NFL since at least 2017.
Sure, Tannenbaum served as the Dolphins’ executive vice president of football operations from 2015-18, so technically, his NFL experience is more recent than when he was fired after the 2012 season. Still, he is a has-been in a league that has passed him by and had already passed him by for several seasons when the Jets fired him.
And now, desperate to find the right general manager and head coach, the Jets have hired The 33rd Team — Tannenbaum’s company — to run their search?
Sure, he’ll operate along with longtime NFL executive Rick Spielman, who helped the Commanders in the same search last season and has a better track record. But just the name Mike Tannenbaum should send shivers down Jets fans’ spines.
For one thing, Tannenbaum has contributed many wild takes since entering the media sphere. In the 2024 offseason, he suggested the Jets target Russell Wilson to back up Aaron Rodgers.
He also has shown a clear lack of understanding or caring about analytics, routinely posting basic box score statistics or win-loss records on X to justify his MVP picks or other takes.
In general, Tannenbaum is a relic of the past. He built up the Jets’ roster from 2006-10 but systematically ruined it in the two years after, already showcasing a declining understanding of what was needed to succeed in the NFL. (Part of that was blowing through draft picks like they were candy.)
He was the Jets’ general manager 12 years ago. He hasn’t been in the NFL in six years. He may have been Bill Parcells’ protégé and still speak to Parcells often, but that doesn’t mean he knows what to look for in a general manager or head coach in today’s NFL.
Spielman may be a better pick, but calling it a “33rd Team” hire makes it sound like Tannenbaum will run the show. That’s a classic Woody Johnson move, looking for a blast from the past, and it may yield predictable results.
Rex Ryan is actively campaigning to be the Jets’ next head coach. Many Jets fans are clamoring for Jon Gruden. Two other has-beens in the conversation. Ryan may even be the most likely candidate because Johnson reportedly loves him, and he may be the only candidate willing to put up with Johnson’s interference.
One of Robert Saleh’s big issues as a head coach was being stuck in the past — wanting a run-first offense when passing has always been more efficient. As Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania described, the Jets need a more forward-thinking coach (and general manager) in two specific ways: willingness to hire the best coordinators and coaches rather than the familiar ones, and embracing analytics rather than spurning it.
Instead, Woody Johnson is going back to the familiar, and the old. And that is a recipe for disaster.
Before an offseason the Jets must get right, their first move was quite ominous. Perhaps Spielman can have a tempering effect on Tannenbaum and help bring the team into the 2020s.
If not, the Jets’ next head coach may well be another has-been.
