Mike Tannenbaum could return to NY Jets in front office role with new regime

Return of the Tannenbaum?

Justin Fried

Mike Tannenbaum / Cindy Ord/GettyImages

It's been 13 years since Mike Tannenbaum has served in any sort of front office capacity for the NY Jets. The longtime NFL executive served as general manager of the Jets from 2006 to 2012 before he was ultimately let go.

This offseason marked the return of Tannenbaum to Florham Park, at least in a non-official role. Tannenbaum, along with former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, was tasked with leading the Jets' search for a new head coach and GM over the last couple of months.

That search officially came to an end on Saturday after the team hired Darren Mougey to be their new general manager. Mougey joins Aaron Glenn to form a regime the Jets hope will turn the fortunes of the franchise around.

Tannenbaum's work, however, might not be done. Brian Costello of the New York Post reported on Friday that Tannenbaum or Spielman could stick around in a front office role moving forward. There has been speculation that Tannenbaum could lobby for a role in the Jets' front office, and Costello seems to be furthering that notion.

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Tannenbaum last worked in the NFL as the executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins from 2015 to 2018. As one of the key decision-makers in the Dolphins' front office, his tenure in Miami was widely criticized and left much to be desired.

He joined ESPN as an analyst in 2019 and would go on to found The 33rd Team a few years later. Now, Tannenbaum might be leveraging his role with The 33rd Team as a stepping stone to secure another position with an NFL team.

Tannenbaum's past history working with Woody Johnson will probably help his case, and it does make some sense to hire front office executives with a high level of experience to pair with the new regime.

Both Mougey and Glenn have never been a general manager or head coach before at the NFL level, making them the first rookie regime the Jets have hired together since 2015.

The Jets would benefit from bringing in seasoned former NFL GMs to support Mougey, potentially in consulting roles. While Tannenbaum may not be the most exciting choice, he meets the criteria the team appears to be seeking.

After helping the Jets land a new head coach and general manager, Tannenbaum might be looking for his former team to return the favor. Don't be surprised if the Jets reunite with this familiar name from their past.

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Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.