The New York Jets won’t wait until after the season for a complete reboot.
Gang Green fired general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday, the team announced.
Forty-two days after owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh after a Week 5 loss to the Vikings in London, Douglas joins him on the unemployment line.
"Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets," Johnson said in a statement. "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 be the interim general manager for the remainder of the season. We will begin the process to identify a new General Manager immediately."
Douglas was in the final year of his contract and, given the 3-8 club’s performance, he wasn’t expected to return to New York in 2025. The Jets decided a parting of ways was not worth waiting.
The Jets hired Douglas away from Philadelphia, where he was vice president of player personnel, in 2019. In five-plus seasons under his guidance, New York posted a 30-64 record and never sniffed the playoffs. His season high for wins was seven, and a .438 win percentage in Year 1 would be the peak of his tenure.
Credit Douglas for helping build a once-dominant defense, including drafting Quinnen Williams with his first selection in New York. His famed 2022 class included Rookies of the Year in 2022 in cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, to pair with Breece Hall and Jermaine Johnson.
However, Douglas’ doom was never solving the QB riddle. Zach Wilson, drafted No. 2 overall in 2021, crashed and burned. Gang Green never had a suitable backup option. And the ballyhooed move to bring in Aaron Rodgers has gone up in epic flames.
Upon firing Saleh last month, Johnson said part of his reasoning was that Gang Green had the most talented team of his ownership -- a team Douglas built. That still couldn’t save the GM, or even give him until Thanksgiving.