NFL

Jets GM search more than Gamble

When Jets owner Woody Johnson surfaces tomorrow for his first press conference since firing general manager Mike Tannenbaum, don’t expect him to have a new GM sitting next to him.

Sources said the Jets are not close to offering their GM job to any of the candidates who have interviewed. There has been widespread speculation 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble already has been selected by the Jets for the job, but a source said the process is still in its early stages.

The Jets will interview two more candidates today, according to sources: Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross and current assistant GM Scott Cohen. That will bring the total to four known candidates the Jets have interviewed. They interviewed Gamble on Saturday and Falcons director of pro personnel Dave Caldwell on Friday. John Dorsey, the Packers director of football operations, has not interviewed, but still is believed to be in the mix. Dorsey is expected to wind up with Andy Reid in Kansas City.

Gamble has become the hot name in the search for the job, and the buzz in league circles over the weekend was he was the front-runner. He could end up with the job, but sources said he left town yesterday with no assurances from the Jets.

In fact, Gamble still planned on interviewing with the Chargers and Browns, according to a source. He had to postpone a meeting with the Chargers yesterday for family reasons, but he reportedly has rescheduled it for tomorrow.

Ross remains a strong candidate for the job. The 39-year-old is in demand around the league with teams seeking a new GM. He will interview with the Panthers tomorrow. He already has interviewed with the Chargers and Jaguars for their GM jobs.

Ross has a deep scouting background and has worked with Giants GM Jerry Reese since 2007, helping the Giants to two Super Bowl titles. Ross is young but experienced. He spent three years as a scout for the Bills before joining the Giants and was the league’s youngest college scouting director with the Eagles.

Whoever ends up with the Jets GM job will face some immediate challenges. Here are three the newcomer will have to deal with quickly:

THE COACHING STAFF

Head coach Rex Ryan is safe unless Johnson has a major change of heart. But offensive coordinator Tony Sparano is expected to be fired. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s contract is up, and he appears ready to leave. Special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff is retiring.

The offensive coordinator hire is crucial. The Jets will be going on their third in three years. Ryan needs a strong offensive coach who can run the show on that side of the ball while Ryan concentrates on defense. Norv Turner and Cam Cameron are considered the favorites.

The other openings can be filled in-house. Defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman did an outstanding job this season with star Darrelle Revis out. He deserves the promotion to coordinator. Ben Kotwica has been Westhoff’s assistant for the past four years and should be the new coordinator.

THE QUARTERBACK

Mark Sanchez is going to be tough to get rid of with his $8.25 million guaranteed salary and his salary cap figure.

The new GM is going to have to decide whether he wants to absorb a cap hit of at least $12 million if the Sanchez cap hit is split over two years.

It seems likely Sanchez will be back. The question for the new GM is which veteran free agent will he bring in to compete with Sanchez or whether he will draft a quarterback.

THE SALARY CAP

Former Browns GM Tom Heckert canceled his interview with the Jets because of concerns over their salary-cap situation, according to a source. The Jets are currently about $20 million over next year’s projected $121 million cap.

By cutting Bart Scott, Calvin Pace, Jason Smith and Eric Smith, the team would dump $30 million. That leaves them just $10 million under the cap with just 10 starters signed. The team could also rework the contracts of Santonio Holmes ($11 million base salary) and David Harris ($10.9 million) to create cap space.