Joe Douglas' time as the New York Jets general manager came to an end this week, but he might not be too broken about it.
With the Jets sitting at 3-8 and on the verge of missing the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season, New York owner Woody Johnson fired Douglas after five years on the job. Douglas' tenure included adding future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former All-Pro edge rusher Haason Reddick, moves that have seemingly backfired on the organization.
Rodgers, who tore his Achilles tendon last season in his first game with the Jets and subsequently missed the rest of the year, has been underwhelming despite remaining healthy this season. Even with former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett serving as the play caller and former Green Bay Packers receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard out wide, Rodgers has failed to lead the Jets to many wins.
The Jets traded with the Philadelphia Eagles for Reddick during the offseason, but when he was not given a contract extension, Reddick held out and requested a trade. Douglas refused to trade Reddick and said the team would not negotiate with him until he reported.
After the firing of head coach Robert Saleh in October, it appeared Douglas' future was in the air. If the coaching change, as well as the midseason acquisition of Adams and the resolution of Reddick's contract saga, paid dividends and the Jets turned around their season, it seemed possible Douglas, whose contract was set to expire during the offseason, could earn an extension.
Joe Douglas reportedly ‘happiest' he's been after Jets firing
However, things did not improve. In fact, they got worse, which seemed to put the proverbial nail in the coffin for Douglas.
Although firing a general manager in the middle of a season is somewhat unusual, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that Douglas expected to be fired and may be better off because of it.
“Johnson made the decision to fire Douglas during the bye week to allow the organization to begin strategizing for the future,” Russini wrote. “A team source explained that Johnson wanted to show respect to Douglas by not having him remain in the building while discussions about his potential successor were underway. While many around the league were stunned Douglas was fired in-season, I’m told the 48-year-old knew change was coming.
“An NFL executive close to Douglas shared that the former Jets GM felt a sense of ‘relief' after his dismissal, particularly from the challenges of working under Woody Johnson. That same executive shared that, just hours after being fired, Douglas went fishing at the Jersey Shore, enjoying a stress-free environment after navigating several turbulent years with the organization. ‘It’s the happiest he’s sounded in a long time.'”
Johnson, who bought the Jets in 2000, has overseen more bad than good in the near quarter of a century since. After six playoff appearances in the first 11 seasons as the team's owner, Johnson has watched his team fail to qualify for the postseason for 13 consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the NFL.
In his time as owner, Johnson has hired and fired seven head coaches, with no single coach lasting longer than six seasons. The team has had the same number of general managers, including Bill Parcells, who resigned a year after Johnson bought the team.
Douglas previously served as the Eagles' vice president of player personnel before he was hired by the Jets in 2019. The bulk of his front-office work came with the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he spent 15 years as a scout. He worked for the Chicago Bears for a year before making his way to Philadelphia.
The Jets, who are on a much-needed bye week, have a 2% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NFL's Playoff Picture tool. New York would likely need to win the remaining six games on its schedule to sneak into the postseason; the Jets still have to play the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins twice.
