EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have granted the New York Jets permission to talk to Marc Ross.

Ross, the team's director of college scouting, is a hot name for potential general manager openings around the league. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported last week that Ross will be a leading candidate for Carolina's GM opening.

The Jets fired Mike Tannenbaum on Monday morning and a source confirmed that the Jets reached out to the Giants for permission to talk to Ross, which was first reported by NFL Network.

Ross has been instrumental in the Giants' draft process, helping draft the likes of Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (2010 first round), wide receivers Hakeem Nicks (2009 first round) and Mario Manningham (2008 third round) and linebacker Jacquian Williams (2011 sixth round) among others.

"Everything I see from people like yourselves says that Marc's the hot prospect," Reese said. "We’ll see. Marc has done a terrific job for us. If he ends up going somewhere else, it will be a loss for us, but we’ll be happy for him if that’s the way it goes down."