George Paton: Jets Reach Out to GM Candidate

Ian Rapoport has the first candidate for the Jets general manager search.

The #Jets have reached out to #Vikings assistant GM George Paton, source says. They tried to get him last time, too.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2014

Paton has a long working relationship with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. He has been with the Vikings front office since 2007 and was promoted to his current position with the organization in January 2012. Prior to that, he had stints in the Dolphins and Bears organizations.

Paton is the first candidate. He has been a relatively hot name in league circles over the past few years. The Dolphins, Panthers, and Browns have all expressed varying degrees of interest in Paton for vacant general manager jobs.

There are rumblings Charley Casserly, who will be involved in the search for John Idzik's replacement, is high on Paton so he might be a name to watch during this process.