The Jets relieved general manager Mike Maccagnan of his duties Wednesday morning.
The stunning development came after both Maccagnan and head coach Adam Gase denied that the two had a rift over some personnel decisions.
But Jets chairman CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement released by the team that he let Maccagnan go and that Gase would be the interim general manager.
"Mike helped to execute the strategic vision of the organization during the last four seasons and especially the past few months," Johnson said. "However, I came to the decision to make a change after much thought and a careful assessment of what would be in the best long-term interests of the New York Jets. I will start a search for our new general manager immediately."
The Jets also relieved vice president of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger of his duties.
The Jets reportedly already have contacted Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas for their general manager's vacancy. A source told Newsday that Douglas is a strong candidate for the job. He worked with Gase in Chicago.
The Jets didn't make the playoffs in Maccagnan's four years as GM. But Johnson retained Maccagan after firing coach Todd Bowles in December. Instead, Johnson left Maccagnan, who had two years left on his contract, in charge of this critical offseason.
It was Maccagnan who chose to hire Gase as the head coach after he was let go by the Dolphins. Maccagnan also oversaw the Jets' free-agent spending frenzy, doling out roughly $125 million in salaries to rebuild the team. Among the players the Jets acquired were three-time Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell, four-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and two-time Pro Bowl left guard Kelechi Osemele.
Maccagnan, whose draft history is littered with misses, also ran this year's draft. He made six selections, including taking Alabama nose tackle Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick.
Last year, Maccagnan made the big trade with the Colts to move up to the No. 3 pick, where he selected quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets believe he can be a franchise quarterback and can lead them deep into the postseason.
One of the reasons Gase was hired as coach was because of his previous work with quarterbacks. Maccagnan and the organization felt he could bring out the best in Darnold.
There were reports before and during the draft that Maccagnan and Gase were at odds over some of the decisions during free agency. One report said they had disagreements over Bell, while another said Gase wanted Maccagnan to pursue center Matt Paradis, who signed with the Panthers.
Gase said last week that he was bothered by the reports of a rift.
"I don't know who decides to put that stuff out there," Gase said. "It kind of pisses me off a little bit. We have discussions on everything. That's our job. We have to work through so much stuff. That's what we got to do. That's all we've done since we've been in there.
"Since we started, we're constantly in communication whether he's coming down to my office or I'm going to his office. That's all we're trying to do is just trying to make sure we're on the same page all the time and making sure that we're trying to put this thing together as well as we can in a short period of time."
The Jets hired Maccagnan in 2015 after he spent 15 years in the Texans organization. The Jets went 10-6 in Maccagnan's first season, but they were 14-34 over the last three.
