NY Jets heavily targeting the GM who ruined Andrew Luck's career

The NY Jets are casting a wide net in their search for a new general manager, with up to 16 candidates reportedly in the mix. However, one name appears to be emerging as a frontrunner — and Jets fans aren't happy about it.

Former Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson seems to be picking up some steam in the Jets' GM search, with multiple reports connecting him to the job. Most of those reports seem to include him as a package deal with Brian Flores and possibly Josh McCown.

SNY's Connor Hughes reported on Saturday that the group he's heard the most in connection to the Jets head coach and general manager searches would be the trio of Grigson, Flores, and McCown, with the latter serving as the team's offensive coordinator.

ESPN's Rich Cimini confirmed this report in a recent appearance on WFAN radio this weekend, saying that Grigson would be at the top of the Jets' list of experienced GM candidates. He also hinted that he's heard the Grigson/Flores combination quite a bit.

NY Jets eyeing Ryan Grigson as their next general manager

Grigson is currently the senior vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings, a role he's held since 2022. Pairing him with Flores, Minnesota's defensive coordinator, and McCown, the team's quarterbacks coach, makes sense given their obvious connection.

The issue is that Grigson's track record isn't very enticing. He's best known for his stint as the Colts' general manager from 2012 to 2016 where his missteps infamously forced former quarterback Andrew Luck into an early retirement.

Grigson has been blamed for neglecting the team's offensive line, resulting in Luck taking more sacks than almost any quarterback in the NFL during his playing career. Those sacks eventually added up, forcing Luck to retire before the age of 30.

Grigson's drafts during his Colts tenure are a bit of a mess. Outside of his initial 2012 draft class that netted the team Luck, T.Y. Hilton, and Coby Fleener, Grigson's Colts drafts were notoriously some of the worst in the NFL during his stint in Indianapolis.

Only two players drafted by Grigson between 2013 and 2016 received a second contract with the organization, one of whom was fringe starting safety Clayton Geathers, who received a one-year, $2.75 million deal.

Grigson is also known for trading the team's 2014 first-round pick for infamous draft bust Trent Richardson. Richardson would play just 29 games with the Colts and was out of the NFL less than two years after the trade. He averaged an abysmal 3.1 yards per carry in Indianapolis.

Some in the know have insisted that Grigson has learned from his mistakes with the Colts and is better adept at being a GM after stints as an executive in Cleveland, Seattle, and Minnesota. But with 16 known candidates for the Jets' job, it's hard not to feel like Grigson would be one of the least inspiring choices.

If the Jets fail to land Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who is rumored to be their top choice after missing out on Mike Vrabel, the likelihood of a Grigson-Flores duo in Florham Park will increase significantly — a scenario that many Jets fans are dreading.

NY Jets heavily targeting the GM who ruined Andrew Luck's career

NY Jets eyeing Ryan Grigson as their next general manager

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