The Jets have hired Rick Spielman as a senior football advisor and Robbie Paton as co-director of player personnel.

Rick Spielman – Senior Football Advisor
Spielman is a familiar face, having helped the Jets in the searches that concluded with the additions of HC Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey. Along with Mike Tannenbaum, Spielman led The 33^rd Team’s support role to Chairman Woody Johnson. He’ll now return to the organization in a full-time position as Mougey reshapes the football department.

“I’m going to be helping in any way I can with Aaron Glenn, with Darren Mougey, the new general manager,” Spielman said last week on the “With the First Pick” podcast. “Right now, my biggest project is trying to rebuild the football operations side of things. So, there are a lot of changes going on up there and kind of feel honored and privileged that they called me and asked me to be a part of it going forward.”

Spielman had a long run with the Vikings, serving as vice president of player personnel from 2006-11 and general manager from 2012-21. The Vikes advanced to the conference championship games in 2009 and 2017 and Spielman and Minnesota drafted WR Justin Jefferson, WR Stefon Diggs, WR Sidney Rice, WR Percy Harvin, RBs Adrian Peterson and Davlin Cook, S Harrison Smith, DE Danielle Hunter, LB Eric Kendrick, LB Anthony Barr, T Christian Darrisaw and QB Teddy Bridgewater during his tenure.

Beginning his NFL career as a scout with Detroit in 1990, Spielman worked in college scouting for five seasons and added pro scouting responsibilities in 1995-96. During his time in the Motor City, the Lions claimed two NFC Central titles and made four postseason trips. He was the director of pro personnel with the Bears from 1997-99 and then joined the Miami Dolphins, holding the titles of vice president of football operations/player personnel (2000), senior vice president football operations/player personnel (2002-03) and general manger in 2004. Over Spielman’s five seasons in South Florida, the ‘Fins had a winning record four times and made the playoffs three times.

Spielman, who played at Southern Illinois from 1983-86, participated in training camps with the San Diego Chargers (1987) and the Lions (1998). His younger brother, Chris, who’s been a special assistant to the president, CEO & chairwoman for the Lions since 2021, interviewed for the Jets’ GM position on Jan. 11.

Robbie Paton – Co-Director of Player Personnel
Paton recently completed his eighth season with Denver and his second as national scout. He signed with the Broncos as a personnel intern in 2017 and gained more responsibilities each year, being promoted to scouting assistant in 2018, college/pro scout in ’19, scouting coordinator in ’21 and regional scout in ’22. His duties in 2024 included scouting college prospects in the Southeast region and evaluating top prospects across the country.

Paton, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, began his college playing career as a safety at UCLA, then transferred to the University of San Diego and graduated from UCSD in ’14 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration.

He worked as a defensive backs coach for Loyola (Los Angeles), his high school alma mater, for the 2014 season. In 2015-16 he returned to UCLA as a scouting analyst, playing a key role in the Bruins’ recruiting.

Paton preceded his uncle, George Paton, the Denver GM, to the Broncos by four years. He has a connection with Mougey, who had been with Denver’s personnel operations since 2012 and was the Broncos’ assistant GM from 2022-24 before coming to the Jets.

Paton also is familiar with the Jets’ new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who started his coaching career with UCSD in 2006 and was the Toreros’ assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach when Paton was there.