After entering the season with high expectations crashing back to earth, the New York Jets have fired general manager Joe Douglas.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Douglas’ contract would expire at the end of the season.
But team owner Woody Johnson seemed unwilling to wait that long and pulled the plug on Douglas’ tenure at Florham Park early.
The Jets would be legitimate 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 shown the door.
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.
The players Douglas has drafted include quality players like offensive linemen Alijah Vera-Tucker and Olu Fashanu, safety Michael Carter, cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, pass rusher Jermaine Johnson, running back Breece Hall and linebacker Will McDonald.
But like any GM, he also had his share of misses — the biggest of which came when he selected quarterback Zach Wilson second overall in 2021.
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 Will McDonald) 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).
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).
This season, Douglas was at the center of three transactions that impacted the team. The first was a 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 out of training camps and practices — even going so far as to demand a trade — until he finally agreed to a new deal with the team in mid-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.
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