Is the NFL Executive of the Year Award Cursed?

In a move that surprised many, the New York Jets on Wednesday sacked general manager Mike Maccagnan and appointed head coach Adam Gase as interim general manager of the team. The timing was unusual in that Maccagnan last month had enough job security to oversee the team's draft, including the third overall pick of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Similarly, Maccagnan had the freedom to spend $ 125 million in free agency this season, which included paying for an easily replaceable production by signing former Pittsburgh star Le'Veon Bell as vice president. -President. Maccagnan also played a decisive role in the hiring of Gase, a decision that ultimately led to his ouster.

The fall of Maccagnan's grace was precipitated. He has been named executive of the year by Pro Football Writers of America for the 2015 season, his first as GM Jets. That season, he helped the Jets record a 10-6 record, beating the playoffs. Today, less than four years after being recognized as the league's most senior leader, Maccagnan is unemployed.

But perhaps we should have known that his days were numbered when he won this award. Surprisingly, this honor has become the equivalent of Madden's curse at the box office. Seven of the last 10 winners have been fired. Of the three winners who still have jobs, one – Jerry Jones – is an owner who will not fire, and the other two are the most recent: Howie Roseman in 2017 and Chris Ballard in 2018.

Is this price cursed?

History of the employment of the winners of the last 10 prizes awarded to the NFL Executive of the Year by Pro Football Writers of America

Season	GM	Team	Status
2018	Chris Ballard	Colts of Indianapolis	active
2017	Howie Roseman	Philadelphia Eagles	active
2016	Reggie McKenzie	Oakland Raiders	Wasted December 10, 2018
2015	Mike Maccagnan	New York Jets	Wasted May 15, 2019
2014	Jerry Jones	Dallas Cowboys	Owner
2013	John Dorsey	Kansas City Chiefs	Rendered on June 22, 2017
2012	Ryan Grigson	Colts of Indianapolis	Wasted January 21, 2017
2011	Trent Baalke	San Francisco 49ers	Released January 1, 2016
2010	Scott Pioli	Kansas City Chiefs	Wasted January 4, 2013
2009	Bill Polian	Colts of Indianapolis	Wasted January 3, 2012

For the seven dismissed general managers, the average time between a year – round officer and unemployment is 1,122 days, a little over three years. Former Colts general manager Bill Polian leads the race for seventh service. He had 12 years of career with the Colts and 22 years as an NFL leader before winning the fifth executive record of the year in 2009. He then left the position of General Manager. the 2009 season but remained vice president of the team, then he began the decade of desperation by being fired without ceremony – with his son, who succeeded him as GM – two years later.

It is interesting to note that the NFL's senior executive directors, who are not so owners – Bill Belichick of the Patriots and Kevin Colbert of the Steelers – have never won this award. Washington Deputy Director General Bruce Allen was also not selected, and he has managed to maintain a place in the organization for the last nine years. Perhaps the owners and observers of the league give too much credit to general managers when things go well and too much reproach to things in the shape of a pear. Over the last decade, half of the honorees have worked as general managers of the Colts and Chiefs, suggesting that the teams they inherited could have been equally important to their success.

Often, the GMs on the list went up and down depending on the fate of their main coaches or their back quarters. Trent Baalke of San Francisco won the trophy when he was associated with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who would take the Niners to the brink of Super Bowl glory. But Harbaugh left for Michigan and Baalke was quickly fired after tying his cart to a sweaty and confused Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly's ghost. Ryan Grigson of Indianapolis made the first overall pick in his rookie year as GM.

The executive of the year, Chris Ballard, could be an exception. Ballard worked with the winner and former mentor John Dorsey in Kansas City. Dorsey was fired shortly after Ballard's departure for Indianapolis, and some insiders emphasized Ballard's management acumen and attention to detail as something Dorsey relied on and could not reproduce in his absence. However, Dorsey landed in Cleveland and he inherited the first and fourth overall picks in 2018, preparing himself and his team to succeed.

If Maccagnan has an opportunity in a second act as NFL General Manager, he should probably follow in the footsteps of Baalke and Dorsey and look for a team with a good coach and a high choice. Then he should probably pray that he will never win another executive award of the year.