Odds of Jerry Reese Landing Lions General Manager Job
If a two-time Super Bowl-winning NFL executive sparks your interest as a Lions fan, then you might want to hear about the candidacy of former N.Y. Giants general manager Jerry Reese.
The now 57-year-old spent his entire professional front-office career in the Giants organization.
He got his start with the "G-Men" as a college scout in 1994, a role that he served in until 1997.
He then became a pro scout for the franchise (1997-2004), followed by becoming the team's director of pro personnel (2004-07) and then eventually the organization's general manager (2007-2017).
He succeeded Ernie Accorsi in the job, who served as a consultant to the Ford family in its last GM search (which resulted in the hiring of now ex-Detroit general manager Bob Quinn).
Reese's connection to Accorsi might leave a bad taste in the mouth of some fans regarding Reese -- and I don't entirely blame them for feeling that way.
But, in Reese's defense, he did help build two Super Bowl-winning squads in New York (defeating the New England Patriots in both Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI).
And those two teams had something that the Lions never possessed under Quinn and former Detroit head man Matt Patricia -- an elite pass-rushing unit.
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In the team's first Super Bowl victory over Bill Belichick and the Patriots, its pass-rushing department featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
Meanwhile, in the franchise's second go-around with New England four years later, it featured another pair of top-tier defensive ends in Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Additionally, during his time as the lead decision-maker in the Giants' front office, he drafted Pierre-Paul, running back Ahmad Bradshaw (a seventh-round pick in 2007), wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and safety Landon Collins. He also famously picked up wideout Victor Cruz as an undrafted free agent in 2010.
Now, it's fair to say that he had a lot more draft picks that he missed on than he hit on, much like Quinn.
And, there's no doubt it played a role in New York's inability to maintain consistency during Reese's tenure.
In fact, after the Giants' Super Bowl victory at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the rest of Reese's time in N.Y. consisted of the organization making the playoffs just once more, failing to win another playoff game and recording more losing seasons (four) than winning ones (two).
The Giants have also failed to post a winning record since his exit in '17.
Despite all his failings toward the end of his days in the media capital of the world, you can never take away from Reese the fact that he helped construct two Super Bowl-winning rosters.
They'd be building a statue for the guy outside of Ford Field, if he did that for the Lions, a franchise which has yet to make a trip to the Super Bowl.
So, there's an argument to be made that he deserves another opportunity to run an NFL front office.
I just don't envision it happening for him in the Motor City.
I give Reese a 25 percent chance of landing the GM job in Detroit.
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