The consensus seems to be that the Jets' general manager search is down to four candidates. While I think it is possible we will see the man not be among these four, here is how I would rank them in order of preference.
1. Omar Khan
Khan is my guy at this point. You know how people always talk about how the Steelers are a model franchise? It is because they have people like Khan. He has done an excellent job fitting all of that talent onto the roster. You do not see them have Mark Sanchez type contracts. He has a track record of excellence.
I also like that he would likely bring people from the Steelers to fill out the front office staff. A big complaint about Khan is that his background is more on the business side than the football side. The theory seems to be that since Mike Tannenbaum was a business guy, all business people are inept general managers. I think that is as misguided as saying the Jets should avoid personnel guys as their general manager because Terry Bradway was in personnel.
By the end of Tannenbaum's run, there was no aspect of the front office that did a good job. That points to the problem being that Tannenbaum surrounded himself with poor people.
2. John Idzik
On paper, Idzik has the resume to be a general manager. I'm still not 100% on how I feel about him. It feels like every other candidate has a clear record. Retread general managers have obvious records. With personnel or college scouting folks, you can look at how their team has done in these areas. With Khan, you can see a long record of sound work. With Idzik, I don't see many tangible things I can point to that either fill me with confidence or dread. I just see a long record of working in various roles in the NFL. I wouldn't be thrilled if the Jets hired him, but I'd be more than willing to give him a shot.
3. Ted Sundquist
His record with the Broncos was very uneven. There are some big successes but real inconsistency in his drafting. Denver also gave out some pretty lousy contracts and greatly lacked defensive talent by the end of his run. Maybe after a few years away from the game, he has reflected on what went wrong and has more of a plan. That's really what you would have to hang your hat on if the Jets go in that direction.
4. Scott Cohen
See the Khan part of this post about Tannenbaum surrounding himself with bad football people. Cohen was one of his top deputies. To justify a Cohen hiring, you have to create a world where Cohen was giving Tannenbaum great advice, and Tannenbaum was ignoring him. Even then, Cohen's inability to sell his boss on moves that were obvious to anybody who watched this team hardly speaks good things about his ability. An important part of the general manager job is being persuasive.
Cohen might be a great guy. One day he might make a great general manager for another team. I don't know. What I do know is this team needs a fresh start in the front office, and Cohen is not the guy who will provide that.