Pat Kirwan: Jets ‘don’t need a learning curve guy’ to be new GM

As far as Pat Kirwan is concerned, the New York Jets are in need of an experienced general manager to replace Mike Maccagnan, who was fired from the job Wednesday.

Kirwan has been an NFL club executive, so he knows a thing or two about how things are done in a front office. He also has specific knowledge of the role’s history with the Jets, with whom he worked as a director of player administration.

‘With Adam Gase kind of acting as the GM, that’ll turn a bunch of GM-qualified types right off’

And he has misgivings over how the team has chosen to structure things at the moment, with new coach Adam Gase doubling as interim GM.

“Is (Adam Gase) going to run the interview process? Well, that doesn’t make this a real GM job.”

“In my mind, you don’t need a learning curve guy,” Kirwan said while co-hosting Movin’ The Chains with Jim Miller. “You’ve got a head coach that’s walking around now that’s going to make decisions. Is he going to run the interview process? Well, that doesn’t make this a real GM job.

‘It will have to be made clear exactly what all this means’

“With Adam Gase kind of acting as the GM, that’ll turn a bunch of the GM-qualified types right off. They’re not going to be involved or turn down even an interview for that. It will have to be made clear exactly what all this means.”

Kirwan said, if he were hiring Maccagnan’s replacement, the first call he’d place would be to former NFL GM Phil Savage.

‘Phil Savage would be my first stop’

“An experienced guy that obviously knows the college personnel inside-out, knows all the mechanisms of running an organization,” Kirwan said. “But I don’t even know if he’s interested, but Phil Savage would be my first stop. I have plenty of other names of guys. (Atlanta Falcons assistant GM) Scott Pioli is going to be on that list, (New Orleans Saints assistant GM) Jeff Ireland. We all know about (Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel) Joe Douglas. With (co-director of player personnel) Trent Kirchner out in Seattle, (assistant GM) George Paton in Minnesota, those are the kind of guys I’d be talking to.”

Kirwan believes the “best thing” for Gase is a “real guy that knows personnel inside-out.”

‘Adam Gase, he’s just one losing streak away from people in this city blowing him up’

“If he was my friend, I’d say, ‘Adam, let’s get the best guy that can come in here and be up and running on Day One,’” Kirwan said. “In other places is fine, but the in this city … I know the exact seat that’s now vacant. This is a dynamic situation. And Adam Gase, he’s just one losing streak away from people in this city blowing him up.”