Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet Sources: Ex-#Browns GM and Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage is expected to join the personnel staff of new #Jets GM Joe Douglas. The role is not yet clear, but barring a snag, an announcement should come this week. Key hire for Douglas & a return to the NFL for Savage. 340 2:30 PM - Jun 18, 2019Phil
Phil Savage is back in an NFL front office. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports the former Cleveland Browns GM is expected to join the New York Jets personnel staff, per sources informed of the decision. Savage's role is not yet clear, but barring a snag, an announcement is expected this week, per Rapoport. It's a reunion for Savage and new Jets GM Joe Douglas. The duo worked together in Baltimore, from 2000 when Douglas joined the Ravens' staff as a scout until 2005 when Savage left for the Browns GM job. This time around, it's Douglas in charge. After his stint as the Browns GM and three years with the Philadelphia Eagles, Savage worked as the Senior Bowl Executive Director from 2012-2018, where he helped select the prospects and run the event, a vital part of the pre-draft process. Savage left the Senior Bowl last year for a chance to be the GM of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football, which folded before the end of its first season. The hire of Savage marks a key addition for Douglas as he surrounds himself with familiar faces that can bolster the Jets scouting department.
Does this mean that Champ Kelly is now a after thought, or are we going for the hat trick and get Douglas, Savage, & Kelly
As a senior advisor I’d hope he is more a sounding board for the way things generally run rather than talent specific input.
But he's been scouting collegiate Seniors and choosing them for the Sr. Bowl, so it's not like he hasn't been around collegiate players or NFL scouts and personnel men.
Hired as a senior advisor is a good role for Savage. Able to tell Douglas what not to do as GM. Just hope all these hires could help the Jets take the next step. Baby steps first, a winning season.
He’s definitely developed some good relationships through his time in the league and also running the Senior Bowl. Nice guy to have in the building.
He has an eye for talent. From his wiki page Savage then played an important role in the drafting of 10 Pro Bowl players: offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker Ray Lewis, receiver Jermaine Lewis, linebacker Peter Boulware, cornerback Chris McAlister, running back Jamal Lewis, linebacker Adalius Thomas, tight end Todd Heap, safety Ed Reed and linebacker Terrell Suggs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Savage
Besides building a good staff, I think this is an attempt by Douglas to show the rest of the league that the jets are bringing in well-known people. It sends a message that the jets can/will be more user friendly, i.e. easier to negotiate with regarding possible trades, future dealings, etc. One of the (many) knocks on MacCagnan was that other league executives didn't like that Mac was so wishy-washy. Douglas is serving notice that there is new sheriff in town, and old jets mindset of indecisiveness is gone.
Ha. True. To be honest even with his massive bust potential I am a bit shocked at how bad Hackenberg actually turned out to be. I mean I'd expect him to at least perform competently in some BS startup league. He can't even do that. Wasn't he the #1 high school football recruit in the country at one point?
Holy crap! How did he do so badly with the Browns, if he did that much for the Ravens? I hope that he still has some of that eye for talent/magic.
I honestly think he had some form of PTSD from the bearings he took at Penn State. Couple that with being slow to process info, he was doomed to fail at the NFL level. I remember even Gruden getting impatient with him during the white board session on his QB camp show for taking too long to draw up a play
Because he didn't have the same scouts, and more importantly, he didn't have Ozzie Newsome to to make the picks.
The whole organization was a hot mess in Cleveland at the time. We don't know what great picks Savage heavily lobbied for and Newsome agreed to take that worked out. Just as we don't know if he was really just riding Newsome's coattails. Overall I DO think he deserves some credit for the Ravens success. He was with that franchise for 12 seasons after all and it's hard to fake it that long in a quality organization (or any company) without contributing significantly in some respect. Though yea his Cleveland drafts...eh. Not a fan. Though he did land Joe Thomas and Eric Wright one year