After entering the season with high expectations crashing back to earth, the New York Jets have fired general manager Joe Douglas.
Douglas’ contract was set to expire at the end of the season. according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. But team owner Woody Johnson seemed unwilling to wait that long and pulled the plug on Douglas’ tenure at Florham Park early.
Schefter also reports that the team has named former Browns general manager Phil Savage as interim general manager.
The Jets would be legitimate playoff contenders this season, with a fully healthy Aaron Rodgers and a slew of weapons at his disposal.
But even after trading for Davante Adams, the Jets languish toward the bottom of the AFC as they own a 3-8 record.
After firing head coach Robert Saleh earlier this season, it appears Douglas was the next man to be thrown out the door. This indicates that the Jets are likely in for a complete teardown and rebuild.
The New York Jets fired general manager Joe Douglas amid a down season
Douglas had been with the Jets since 2019, joining the team after that year’s draft process. Then-head coach Adam Gase ran the lineup for the Jets that season.
During his tenure he scored many hits. The 2022 NFL Draft was a particular highlight – with Douglas drafting star cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson in the top ten before adding pass rusher Jermaine Johnson later in the first round and running back Breece Hall in the second round.
Douglas also managed to pull off something of a heist, trading safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Bradley McDougald, a third-round pick and two firsts (one of which was used on Garrett Wilson).
But like any GM, he also had a lot of problems – most notably, the Jets never solved the quarterback problem.
Douglas obtained the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After taking Trevor Lawrence first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Douglas took BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second.
Wilson failed to fulfill his potential in New York and was eventually traded to the Broncos after three bad seasons as the Jets’ starter.
Douglas was also the man responsible for engineering the Aaron Rodgers trade last season. In total, the Jets received Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers’ 2023 first-round pick (selecting linebacker Will McDonald IV) and their 2023 fifth-round pick.
In return, the Packers received the Jets’ 2023 first-round pick (used to take pass rusher Lukas Van Ness), their 2023 second-round pick (used to take tight end Luke Musgrave), and their pick for the 2023 sixth round pick (used on kicker Anders Carlson).
Douglas was fired the same season the Jets let go of head coach Robert Saleh (left)
The Packers also received a conditional second-round pick in 2024, which they moved to the New Orleans Saints in a trade of second-rounders (the Saints drafted cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, the Packers took linebacker Edgerrin Cooper).
Rodgers was injured four times in the 2023 season and so far in 2024 has failed to live up to the expectations Jets fans placed on him — even after Jets management went to great lengths to appease the Super Bowl winner by acquiring wide receivers he had previously worked with.
This season, Douglas was at the center of three transactions that impacted the team. The first was an offseason deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, in which the Jets landed linebacker Haason Reddick in exchange for a conditional 2026 second-round pick that would likely become a 2026 third-round pick.
Reddick stayed away from training camp and practices — even going so far as to demand a trade — until he finally agreed to a new deal with the team in late October.
Douglas was also responsible for acquiring one of Rodgers’ favorite wide receivers, Davante Adams, in exchange for a 2025 second-rounder who will likely become a third-rounder – unless Adams is voted to the All-Pro first or second team .
None of these things are likely, as Adams currently ranks 42nd in the league in receiving yards and owns just two receiving touchdowns.
The biggest move during Douglas’ tenure was the acquisition of QB Aaron Rodgers (center)
After acquiring Adams, Douglas flipped wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
In his first game with his new team, Williams caught a game-winning touchdown and then hit back at Rodgers after previously receiving criticism from the quarterback.
The last game Douglas saw as general manager of the Jets was Sunday’s demoralizing loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson – who was benched earlier this season as backup Joe Flacco – raced into the end zone late in the game to seal a come-from-behind, 28-27 victory after Indianapolis lost to a at one point was trailing 24-16. in the fourth quarter.