/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59638167/841377526.jpg.0.jpg)
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports Jets director of college scouting Matt Bazirgan is leaving the team to take a job with the Houston Texans.
The Texans are hiring New York Jets director of college scouting Matt Bazirgan for a high-level job in their personnel department, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Bazirgan is expected to hold the title of director of player personnel after the Jets granted permission for him to talk with the Texans.
It is difficult to judge the quality of front office members aside from the general manager, but there are a few things I take away from this.
- The Jets had to give the Texans permission to speak with Bazirgan. They could have blocked the move. In general, I like decisions like that. I think blocking people from advancing their careers is penny wise and pound foolish. Yes, the Jets lose a member of their front office, but in doing so they send a message elsewhere that this is a place where an ambitious young scout can advance his career. It makes this a more attractive place to work.
2. While I can’t speak specifically about Bazirgan’s quality, it is a good thing the Jets are employing people who are attractive to other NFL teams. Bazirgan was on the job for just one year because the Colts hired his predecessor, Rex Hogan.
3. Relationships in the NFL matter. NFL general managers will tell you a lot of deals are made because they have good working relationships and trust their counterparts with other teams. While I don’t know the specifics of how the trade between the Jets and the Colts that brought Sam Darnold went down, I can’t imagine having Hogan in Indianapolis hurt the negotiations. Mike Maccagnan clearly has a solid working relationship with his old team, the Texans, and it probably will get a little stronger as a result, which could help facilitate more deals in the future.