Report: Lions great Chris Spielman to interview for NY Jets general manager position
01 May 2015: FormerDetroit Lion Chris Spielman during round 2 of the 2015. The NFL Draft is being held at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FOX 2 - NFL coaching search stories have circulated the names of Lions staff members recently - but now a front-office candidate may have emerged, too.
Lions great Chris Spielman, currently serving as special assistant to the president/CEO, could be under consideration for the New York Jets general manager job. Spielman is due to interview for the Jets, which went 5-12 this year.
The report which was cited on social media by ESPN NFL reporter Adam Shefter, comes via Ohio sports radio station host Anthony Rothman. Rothman works at 97.1 The Fan out of Columbus and posted it on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
"Legendary Buckeye Chris Spielman will interview for the @nyjets GM job sources tell me," Rothman posted. "'Spiels' current exec asst to Detroit ownership has single handedly changed culture of the Lions by impacting the hiring of GM Brad Holmes & HC Dan Campbell. @971RandI."
If true, it would be the latest staffer from the Lions to receive attention by other teams. Offensive and defensive coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have both been mentioned in media circles as possible head coaching candidates.
The Lions recently clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs with an all-time best mark of 15-2 and second straight NFC North Division title.
PONTIAC, MI - DECEMBER 17: Linebacker Chris Spielman #54 of the Detroit Lions signals to the sideline during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Pontiac Silverdome on December 17, 1994 in Pontiac, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Vikings 41-1
Some on social media have speculated if Glenn could enter into the Jets plans, since he was a former first round pick and standout player there from 1994-2001 and later served as a scout for the franchise in 2012-2013.
Spielman, a former Ohio State great and inductee of College Football Hall of Fame, is an icon for the Lions franchise. Before joining the front office, he was a second-round pick in 1988 and played in Detroit until 1995.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 31: Chris Spielman former Detroit Lions player during the Pride of the Lions celebration during halftime in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field on October 31, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del
He is an inductee of the Pride of the Lions Club which honors the franchise's greatest players ever to play.