Tag: Rex Hogan

Jets part ways with assistant general manager Rex Hogan

Jets part ways with assistant general manager Rex Hogan

The Jets and assistant general manager Rex Hogan have parted ways, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Hogan had been the assistant to general manager Joe Douglas since 2019, when Douglas was named GM, starting his second stint with the Jets. Hogan was also director of college scouting under then-GM Mike Maccagnan. In total, Hogan spent seven seasons with the Jets organization with two years with the Colts (2017-2018) in between.

This will allow Hogan to explore more opportunities. He is widely respected around the league and should land another gig very soon.

Joe Douglas, Rex Hogan in attendance for Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day

New York’s general manager and assistant general manager are in attendance for Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day on Friday.

The Jets are represented at Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day on Friday.

According to multiple reports, Joe Douglas is in attendance to watch Lawrence throw, along with Jets assistant general manager Rex Hogan. While it’s more than a foregone conclusion that the Clemson quarterback will be the No. 1 overall pick come April’s draft, the Jets are doing their due diligence anyway.

Lawrence is conducting an earlier pro day so that he can undergo labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

As rumors circle surrounding Sam Darnold’s future with the team, the Jets may very well be preparing for life beyond the 23-year-old quarterback. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, multiple teams have already called New York and inquired about Darnold’s availability.

While Lawrence will almost certainly be out of New York’s grasp, the Jets are doing their homework on the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.

With Joe Douglas, Rex Hogan at the top, former Colts and Ravens flock to New York

Former Colts and Ravens players have had a tendency to wind up with the Jets ever since Joe Douglas and Rex Hogan came to the team.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas and assistant general manager Rex Hogan have been around the block throughout their careers as NFL executives.

Douglas spent over a decade working in the Ravens’ front office before spending a year with the Bears and three with the Eagles. Hogan, meanwhile, spent 12 years working for the Bears and another two years with the Colts in between two separate stints with the Jets.

Both executives gained valuable experience elsewhere before electing to call One Jets Drive home, but Douglas and Hogan have not just parlayed their tenures with different organizations into high-ranking front office positions with the Jets. They have also used their previous homes to help attract free agents and to aid their dealings on the trade market.

New York’s roster currently features handfuls of former Colts and Ravens. Douglas and Hogan did not work directly with all of these players, but they played a major part in bringing most of them to the Big Apple.

When the Jets traded for Alex Lewis last offseason, Douglas used his relationship with Baltimore’s front office to his advantage in order to make the deal come to fruition. Douglas also discovered Joe Flacco when he was working for the Ravens, which played a role in the quarterback’s decision to sign a one-year deal with New York to serve as Sam Darnold’s backup. It’s safe to assume Douglas got to know linebacker Patrick Onwuasor pretty well in Baltimore before he signed him in free agency. The same goes for Bennett Jackson.

Hogan has used his relationships to his advantage as well. He played a major part in Pierre Desir’s contract extension getting done with the Colts in 2018 and factored into the equation yet again this offseason when Desir hit free agency. Hogan likely also had a key say in New York’s draft-day trade for Quincy Wilson and its trade for Nate Hairston last summer. Without a glowing evaluation from Hogan, Douglas probably does not make either deal. Matthias Farley probably isn’t on the roster, either.

As the old saying goes, it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. When a player hits the open market, familiarity within an organization plays a major role in the decision-making process. Trades are also much easier when you are provided with reliable evaluations about a player from a former colleague.

The Jets are not going to build their team solely around players Douglas and Hogan have worked with in the past. That is just not the best way to go about putting together a roster. However, it should not come as much of a shock when players from their previous stops arrive at One Jets Drive. If Douglas and Hogan saw something in a player with a different team in the past, odds are they will do what it takes to make them part of their present.

New Jets EDGE Jabari Zuniga considers himself ‘the steal of the draft’

Jets third-round pick EDGE Jabari Zuniga isn’t lacking any confidence as he considers himself to be the steal of the draft and a stud.

Jabari Zuniga is confident the Jets are getting great value after using the 79th overall pick in the third round on the Florida edge.

If Zuniga made any lasting impressions from his conference call with reporters on Friday, it’s that he has a boatload of confidence in himself. He made it clear that the Jets got a bargain with their selection.

“I definitely consider myself the steal of the draft,” Zuniga said. He also referred to himself as a “stud.”

While Zuniga’s four years at Florida were lackluster due to various injuries, he proved just how much of a “stud” he can be coming out of the gate in 2019. Zuniga compiled 14 tackles, seven for loss and three sacks in just six games before he battled a high-ankle sprain for the rest of the season.

Still, the Jets’ front office remains impressed by what Zuniga shows on tape. One word that stood out? Explosiveness.

“When you’re watching tape on Jabari, his explosiveness jumps off the tape.” Joe Douglas told reporters, following the commencement of Day 2. “He can really disrupt gaps. He’s an edge presence… He’s been a consistent producer in his four years at Florida, even with the (ankle) injury.”

Assistant general manager Rex Hogan praised Zuniga’s “explosiveness and twitch” to go along with his versatility.

With Zuniga, it’s hard not to buy into his flashes of potential. He can play up and down the defensive line,has the NFL look of an edge rusher at 6-foot-3, 263 pounds and his 4.64 40-yard dash time and 29 reps on the bench press point to a combination of speed and strength.

Throw in his own personal expectations, and the Jets have just found themselves a steal.

Jets brass explains why Mekhi Becton was Joe Douglas’ 1st pick as GM

Joe Douglas, Rex Hogan, Adam Gase explain why Mekhi Becton was the Jets’ first round pick.

Mekhi Becton was the top player on the Jets’ board when Joe Douglas made the Louisville tackle the 11th pick in the 2020 draft.

Douglas took Becton after worrying that the top four offensive tackles would be gone with the first 10 picks. However, once the Cardinals didn’t take a tackle, Douglas knew the Jets would have at least one available to them. And so, Becton became Douglas’ first pick as a general manager.

“We’re so excited to add a guy this size and athletic ability, Douglas said. “A guy we feel can fortify our front for the long term.”

Douglas added that he loves Becton’s 6-foot-7, 364-pound frame and ability to “move people off the ball.” He also called Becton’s 5.10-second 40-yard dash time “eye-opening.”

Douglas’ assistant GM, Rex Hogan, also took note of Becton’s ability to keep players away from the quarterback. “The guy moves people like furniture,” Hogan said.

Adam Gase chimed in as well, explaining how Becton’s going to bring in some intensity to the offensive line.

“He brings an edge for us,” Gase said. “He brings nasty to our offensive line room.”

Becton is a scary dude at his size. He’ll have to get his weight down slightly, but not many players will get past him his massive build. Meanwhile, the Jets can slide him in a left tackle or right tackle.

Clearly, everyone on One Jets Drive is thrilled with the Becton pick. They knew all along that they needed to do everything in their power to protect Sam Darnold. Douglas started that process by signing multiple offensive linemen in free agency and continued it in the first round of the draft with the Becton pick.

Now, he has to find the quarterback some weapons.

Pierre Desir says defensive coordinator Gregg Williams sold him on signing with Jets

Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams played an instrumental role in Pierre Desir’s decision to sign with the Jets in free agency.

Pierre Desir’s familiarity with Jets assistant general manager Rex Hogan wasn’t the only thing that pushed him towards signing with New York in free agency.

Days after the Colts waived Desir, the Jets swooped in to ink him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Hogan played an instrumental role in bringing Desir to the Big Apple, but it was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams that sealed the deal with the veteran cornerback.

“[Speaking with Williams] kind of sold me on wanting to sign with the Jets,” Desir said on a conference call with reporters on Friday.

In conversations with players around the league, Desir said he discovered how beloved New York’s defensive coordinator is by his players. Williams is not afraid to rip into people when necessary, but is ultimately a player’s coach that will go to bat for his guys any day of the week.

Considering Williams played a major role in outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins’ decision to re-sign with the Jets, it should not come as much of a surprise that he was a primary factor in Desir’s decision to join Gang Green. Not only does Williams churn out top-ranked defenses, but he also does it in a way that and with a coaching style that players love.

Desir comes to the Jets after spending the last three years in the Colts’ zone coverage heavy scheme. However, with Desir’s words about Williams, it is clear that although he might not be the perfect fit in the Jets’ typically man-heavy defense, the two sides are willing to put in the work to turn New York’s secondary into one of the better ones in football in 2020.