TAMPA, Fla. — Previously, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has said it’s inevitable New Orleans’ Director of Player Personnel Ryan Pace will leave the organization for the right opportunity if it ever came along.
The Dolphins last year tried to interview Pace for a general manager job but weren’t able to. It could be the Jets try to land the talented front-office man this go-round.
On Sunday, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Pace was among at least four names on the Jets’ short list of potential targets to become their general manager. It’s expected the Jets’ ownership will clean house after winning three of their first 15 games this season and missed the playoffs a fourth-straight year.
Pace is in his 13th year of employment with the Saints, and it’s his second as the player personnel director. Coach Sean Payton credits him frequently in news conference whenever veteran free agents arrive and make a positive impact.
That was more the case in 2013, when the Saints fielded the fourth-ranked offense and defense to reach the playoffs.
This year, the Saints’ offense was similarly productive but intermittently turnover prone. The defense is among those who have allowed the most yards in the NFL, and the Saints (6-9 heading into their season finale at 2-13 Tampa Bay) missed the playoffs.
Without referring to any specific position in the NFL, Pace in late January 2014 indicated not just any job would tempt him to leave the Saints. He cited the close relationship between the Saints’ scouting department and coaching staff.