As the New York Jets prepare to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, their more important business will begin this week when they begin their interviews with the general manager, league sources told ESPN.

The list of candidates expected to compete for the Jets job includes former Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who once helped build one of the league’s better rosters in Tennessee, and the ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who previously worked in Philadelphia and the U.S. front offices in Washington.

There will be other candidates as well, and the Jets plan to announce or confirm any GM interview after it is completed, but Robinson’s is expected this week while Riddick’s comes at a later date, according to sources.

The Jets aren’t set on hiring a general manager first and a head coach second – nor the other way around – as the organization runs a thorough process aimed at producing the best candidates for each position. It just so happens that interviews for the GM job start first.

Robinson and Riddick can meet with the Jets at any time, while other candidates working with NFL organizations cannot speak with the team until after the regular season ends. That’s why the process begins this week with candidates who are not employed by other NFL teams.

During his time at Tennessee, Robinson oversaw the Titans’ drafting of running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver AJ Brown. The team never had a losing season and made the playoffs four times during Robinson’s seven years as general manager before he was fired in December 2022, sending people across the league into an uproar.

Robinson is the second-winningest general manager in franchise history with 69 wins (including playoffs), trailing only Floyd Reese (111).

Riddick has been linked to several front office vacancies in recent years and interviewed for the Pittsburgh Steelers GM job, which went to Omar Khan in May 2022. Riddick is doing color commentary for Monday night’s Falcons-Raiders game and, in part because of his ESPN duties, is expected to interview in the coming weeks.

He played seven seasons in the NFL for four teams after being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1991. He then spent nearly 13 years in front office positions with Washington and Philadelphia, including leading the professional personnel departments of both franchises. Riddick also conducted interviews for GM openings in 2020 with the Lions and Texans.

The Jets recently hired the 33rd team to help them search for general managers and head coaches. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman are leading the project for the NFL technology and media company. The 33rd team has provided its data analysis and expertise to assist the Jets.

The Jets (3-10) fired Joe Douglas as general manager last month, six weeks after ousting coach Robert Saleh.