Veering away from the recent depressing news concerning Sheldon Richardson and Devin Smith, the Jets have decided on Rod Graves' replacement for Director of Football Administration. They chose to promote former Manager of Football Administration Jacqueline Davidson, a 9-year employee of the Jets front office. Davidson began working in the NFL in 2004 after earning her BA in economics at Davidson College, and before completing her juris doctorate at Cornell. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association. Her résumé is really quite impressive. While Rod Graves' title was officially listed as 'Senior' Director of Football Administration, NewYorkJets.com officially listed her promotion as Director of Football Administration. It is possible this is simply a difference in name only, though it might also imply either monetary differences and/or reduced responsibilities as well. This could be due to her lack of experience compared to Graves, who entered the NFL all the way back in 1984 and has held positions as high as General Manager in the past.
I don't know much of anything about her, but I do like the idea of promoting from within the organization when possible. It's also interesting to note that she is the only female currently holding the Director of Football Administration title among listed NFL employees. This comes after the first NFL coach was hired by the Cardinals for training camp. While there are some women in similar positions in NFL administration (and many teams have a different title or no DFA title at all), it is a very impressive accomplishment for Davidson in what is really a boy's club of a business. It's nice to see women getting more opportunities in the NFL and hopefully that trend continues.
Maccagnan called Davidson "bright and talented" and said that she has "has served as an integral part of our football administration efforts under Rod Graves this offseason." He also stated that she "earned this opportunity." As Director of Football Administration, NewYorkJets.com lists Davidson's responsibilities as being lead negotiator of player contracts, managing the team’s salary cap and player budget, forecasting trends for the NFL salary cap and player costs, and ensuring club compliance with the NFL collective bargaining agreement and league player personnel rules. It's an important job which can be a stepping stone to a general manager position, but from what I can tell, she seems up to the task. Congratulations, Jacqueline!