EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants are hiring Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel Brandon Brown as their assistant general manager, sources told Adam Schefter on Saturday.
New York is also expected to interview former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale and former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai for the same position this weekend, a source told ESPN. This became necessary after Patrick Graham unexpectedly left to take a similar position working for friend and former colleague Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The hiring of Brown continues a trend of Howie Roseman and the Eagles grooming young talent. New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry, Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and Carolina Panthers director of player personnel Patrick Stewart all left within the past couple years for higher-ranking jobs.
The hiring of Brown, who is Black, comes amid increased scrutiny of NFL diversity hiring practices following a lawsuit by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores earlier this week in which he claims alleged racial discrimination regarding his interview process.
Brown, 33, recently interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings general manager opening. He was promoted to co-director of player personnel last year alongside Cunningham in Philadelphia.
The addition of Brown comes with Kevin Abrams moving into the new role of senior vice president of football operations and strategy, the Giants was announced Saturday. Abrams had recently offered up the assistant general manager title to Joe Schoen in order to help the new general manager land a right-hand man.
“Kevin has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource for me and our staff,” Schoen said in a statement Saturday. “In his new role, Kevin will be assisting with the day-to-day football operation, administration and strategy of the organization moving forward.”
Schoen was hired last month after serving as the assistant general manager under Brandon Beane with the Buffalo Bills for the past four seasons.
“He’s very smart, he knows the league, he knows the rules, he knows the ins and outs,” Schoen said of Abrams last month. “The biggest thing for me is while we’re trying to find assistant coaches or I’m trying to find my scouting staff to know that the operations part is taken care of and I can give Kevin something and he can run with it because he’s done it. He’s got contacts in the league, he’s got agent relationships, so I’ve been very impressed with Kevin thus far.”
Brown has been a fast riser in the NFL ranks. He began his career as an intern with the Jets before spending two years in personnel at Boston College. He returned to the NFL in 2015 as a scout with the Indianapolis Colts.
It only took two years before Brown became the assistant director of pro scouting with the Eagles. He eventually was promoted to director of pro scouting and last year became more involved on the college side after six years primarily working on pro personnel.
In addition to interviewing Martindale and Desai for the vacant defensive coordinator position, the Giants have also requested permission to talk to Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin, a source told Schefter. It’s uncertain whether permission will be granted, as Austin is a favorite to become the Steelers’ next defensive coordinator.