New Jets general manager John Idzik’s front-office housecleaning has claimed two more victims.
Assistant general manager Scott Cohen, who lost out to Idzik for the top job this winter, and director of football administration Ari Nissim both told their contracts are not being renewed, sources confirmed to The Post’s Brian Costello Wednesday.
Idzik apparently won’t waste time replacing Cohen, who interviewed for the general manager job in January. Former Cardinals GM Rod Graves, who worked with Idzik in Arizona and has known him since childhood, is expected to be hired shortly in a yet-to-be-decided capacity.
Neither dismissal was a surprise. Cohen had been fired GM Mike Tannenbaum’s right-hand man, and Nissim managed the Jets’ salary cap and was their primary contract negotiator — two roles that left him extremely vulnerable in light of the team’s cap woes and the albatross of an extension given to Mark Sanchez last year.
The moves were just the latest by Idzik since the completion of the draft last month. He fired two scouts last week, while another scout left for the Chargers along with assistant personnel director JoJo Wooden.
The only people left from Tannenbaum’s inner circle — at least for the time being — are pro personnel director Brendan Prophett and senior personnel executive Terry Bradway.
The Jets’ new coordinators, meanwhile, held a conference call with season-ticket holders yesterday highlighted by new defensive boss Dennis Thurman expressing confidence in the plan to make defensive tackle Quinton Coples into a standup outside linebacker.
Rex Ryan criticized Coples’ work ethic in the weight room last week, but Thurman was a Coples defender yesterday.
“We will have multiple [defensive] fronts,” Thurman said. “[Coples] will have his hand in the dirt, but he’ll also stand up. He’ll be a hybrid. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t believe Quinton had the ability to handle it.”
New offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, meanwhile, said before it was known David Garrard would have to retire that he hopes the winner of the now-four man competition doesn’t need long to emerge.
“There’s competition [at quarterback] that will rise above and beyond the other players, and hopefully that’s quick,” Mornhinweg said.