What started as a one-time consulting gig to help find the New York Jets’ next general manager and head coach has turned into a full-time position. Rick Spielman announced he took a full-time role with the Jets, serving as general manager Darren Mougey’s “senior football advisor.”
On “NY Flight Jets Talk,” I spoke with CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, a close friend of Rick’s and his former co-host on “With the First Pick,” about Spielman’s new role with the team.
In our interview, Wilson detailed Spielman’s full-time role with the Jets. Wilson compared it to Rick’s brother Chris Spielman’s role with the Detroit Lions. In Detroit, Chris serves as a special assistant to the president/CEO and chairperson, reporting directly to president and CEO Rob Wood.
“It is similar to what his brother Chris Spielman does for the Lions, the only difference is Chris is based in Detroit, and Rick will stay in Florida,” said Wilson. “I think he is going to be a sounding board for first-time head coach Aaron Glenn and first-time GM Darren Mougey.”
“He [Spielman] has said countless times that the stuff he didn’t know as a 40-something-year-old GM compared to when he was in his 50s with Vikings is night and day,” Wilson added. “I think what he is interested in doing for Darren [Mougey] especially is giving him his perspective on how things have gone in the past and perhaps how they might go in the future.”
Spielman, 62, last served as the Minnesota Vikings’ general manager in 2021. Across Spielman’s 16 seasons leading the Vikings, Minnesota compiled a 132-123-2 record, including six playoff appearances.
With a rookie GM leading the team, Spielman’s wealth of knowledge and experience will be valuable to the Jets’ front office.