Former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson has remained largely anonymous since his dismissal in 2022. After trading superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles amidst contract negotiations, Robinson went from folk hero in Nashville to public enemy No. 1. He's been mostly unheard and unseen since.
Robinson has been patiently awaiting his next opportunity without guarantee he'll receive one. His resume is polarizing. He was the architect of a stellar 66-43 record throughout his tenure as Titans GM.
After initially rebuilding the Titans, Robinson also tore them down by overseeing three consecutive lackluster offseasons, leading to Tennessee's short-lived championship window slamming shut. From draft picks like Caleb Farley to Isaiah Wilson and Treylon Burks, to acquisitions like Julio Jones and Robert Woods, the Titans are still experiencing the after effects of poor personnel decisions in his latter years.
There was a lot of good to Robinson's tenure before it went haywire. Before trading Brown, he drafted him in a class that also featured superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, safety Amani Hooker, and once starters Nate Davis and David Long Jr. He also drafted franchise legend Derrick Henry with a second-round selection. Henry is an all-time Titan and draft-weekend decision. Trading for Ryan Tannehill led to the Titans successfully replacing Marcus Mariota en route to an AFC Championship Game and successive division titles.
Robinson hopes potential suitors will focus on that section of his resume. And a potential suitor has emerged. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano recently collaborated on an article that mentions Robinson as a candidate for the New York Jets' vacant GM job.
"Former Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson, for example, is someone I expect the Jets to research," Fowler wrote. "The Titans were 66-43 during his tenure from 2016 to 2022. Phil Savage, who joined the Jets in 2019, is serving as the interim general manager."
Could Jon Robinson be the Jets' GM in 2025?
The Jets fired GM Joe Douglas in November after a disappointing 3-8 start to a 2024 season that began with championship aspirations. Douglas was in the final year of a six-year agreement with the organization. The Jets went all-in, building a team around aging MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It backfired miserably.
The job is a sizable one. The Jets' next GM will be tasked with hiring the next head coach and identifying a suitable successor at quarterback. History indicates Robinson is poorly suited.