New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas attends a press conference to introduce Aaron Rodgers as the new quarterback for the New York Jets at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on April 26, 2023 in Florham Park, New Jersey.
The New York Jets have wiped the entire slate clean.
General manager Joe Douglas was fired on Tuesday, SNY's Connor Hughes first reported and the team later confirmed.
"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," owner Woody Johnson said. "Phil Savage will be the interim general manager for the remainder of the season. We will begin the process to identify a new general manager immediately."
Douglas' contract was set to expire at the end of the 2024 season, but the franchise opted to make the move early amidst disappointing results. Since Douglas was hired in June 2019, the Jets have gone 30-64 with a carousel of coaches and quarterbacks.
The move comes more than a month after head coach Robert Saleh was dismissed, but the team's play has yet to improve under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. The Jets are 3-8 on the season, having lost seven of their last eight games despite heightened expectations with 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
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Douglas, who was hired after serving as the Philadelphia Eagles' vice president of player personnel, inherited new head coach Adam Gase and second-year QB Sam Darnold when he was brought in. He stuck with that pairing for two seasons, with the team going 7-9 and then 2-14 before he moved on from them.
The following season saw Zach Wilson be selected second overall to go with Saleh, a former San Francisco 49ers assistant, in his first head coaching opportunity. They produced seasons of 4-13 and 7-10 before Douglas swung a trade for the four-time MVP Rodgers -- only to see the veteran tear his Achilles on opening night in 2023.
That brings us to 2024, which has been a debacle on and off the field. From Rodgers missing mandatory minicamp to him and Saleh's awkward on-field interactions, nothing went right for the Jets. Even a trade for star wideout Davante Adams and finally signing Pro Bowl rusher Haason Reddick didn't matter as the losses piled up.
For all the losses and inability to find the right coach and quarterback, Douglas did make a number of moves that improved the Jets' roster. Draft picks like Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall built a solid foundation. But without the sport's most important position shored up, New York was unable to capitalize on its talent.
Now, the Jets will enter the 2025 offseason having gone 14 straight years without a postseason appearance as they look to hire a new head coach and general manager. And it's unclear if Rodgers -- who turns 41 in December -- will be sticking around, either.
