The New York Jets’ nightmare of a season took yet another turn on Tuesday with the firing of general manager Joe Douglas, the team announced.
The decision comes just six weeks after owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh. However, the decision failed to provide the necessary spark for a team that lost its sixth game in seven tries on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts to drop to 3-8 on the season.
No team since 1990 has made the playoffs after starting a season so poorly, which is expected to extend the Jets’ playoff drought to 15 years.
“Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,” a statement from Johnson read. “I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Phil Savage will serve as interim GM while the search for a replacement has already begun.
Douglas took over as GM in 2019, hailed as a highly-touted disciple of Philadelphia Eagles architect Howie Roseman. Instead, Gang Green went 30-64 in the five-plus seasons with Douglas pulling the strings.
He made some of his largest swings this season, which ultimately did not pan out. While getting a full season of Aaron Rodgers after a fateful torn Achilles four snaps into his Jets career last season, Douglas went out and acquired defensive end Haason Reddick from the Eagles — though he held out for nearly half of the season due to unhappiness with his current contract — and veteran receiver Mike Williams to provide a legitimate No. 2 behind Garrett Wilson.
Williams was an afterthought with Rodgers under center, prompting Douglas to make one more blockbuster by acquiring Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders. New York is 1-4 since the arrival of the former Packers’ star receiver.
Those are just some of the generational whiffs that Douglas committed during his tenure with Gang Green. He drafted Zach Wilson No. 2 overall in 2021; the BYU product never came close to becoming a franchise quarterback. Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was also a significant first-round miss a year earlier.
They somewhat overshadow the solid picks he did manage to make, most notably Wilson, Sauce Gardner, and Breece Hall. Those hits did not translate to wins, however. The Jets’ .361 winning percentage during the Douglas era was the worst since Rich Kotite ran the show from 1995 to 1996 (4-28, .125 win %).
Following the final six games of 2024, the Jets will enter this offseason looking for a head coach and general manager at the same time. That has not happened to this franchise since 2015.
