Jets general manager Joe Douglas is bringing in a familiar face to help him run the front office.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former Cleveland Browns general manager and senior bowl executive director Phil Savage is expected to join New York’s personnel staff. His exact role within the organization is currently unknown.
Savage is a seasoned NFL executive who will help ease Douglas’ transition from personnel director to general manager. He was Douglas’ boss with the Baltimore Ravens as the director of college scouting and director of player personnel from 2000-2004 before becoming Cleveland’s general manager in 2005. In his time with the Browns, Savage drafted 10-time pro bowler and seven-time All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas.
After being let go at the end of the 2008 season, Savage caught on with the Philadelphia Eagles as a player personnel consultant in 2010. The following year, he was promoted to player personnel executive. Savage left the Eagles in May 2012, when he was named executive director of the senior bowl. Savage served in that role until May 2018. A month later, he joined the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF as the team’s general manager.
Given Savage’s experience and his familiarity with Douglas, he is an ideal hire for the Jets. Douglas still has plenty of work to do to round out his front office staff, but hiring Savage is a good place to start.
