A frontrunner from the outset, Joe Douglas is the new general manager of the New York Jets.
Now the former Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel, Douglas has signed on to lead the Jets as their next GM, the team announced on Friday.
The Jets' search for their next general manager effectively began on May 15 when they fired Mike Maccagnan and first-year coach Adam Gase became interim GM.
Almost immediately, Douglas emerged as the No. 1 contender for the job. He and Gase shared the 2015 season with the Chicago Bears -- Douglas as the Bears' director of college scouting and Gase as the offensive coordinator.
"This is Gase's guy," NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Friday. "The rumors started before Maccagnan was fired."
Douglas' days in Philly began in 2016 and he's credited with aiding in the construction of a Super Bowl champion, as the Eagles claimed victory in Super Bowl LII. However, perhaps just as impressive to many is that he's from the Ozzie Newsome front office tree, having spent 15 years in the Ravens scouting department.
On Sunday, Douglas was interviewed and less than a week later he's the new GM for a franchise that's largely been criticized for dismissing Maccagnan at the puzzling time of mid-May.
One would surmise Douglas and Gase will work in concert no matter who has the final say, with past chemistry hopefully paying dividends for a team that had high-profile free-agent signings in running backs Le'Veon Bell and linebacker C.J. Mosley.
How those signings were handled was reported to be one of the dividing aspects between Gase and Maccagnan that led to CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson ousting Maccagnan and bringing about a firestorm of scrutiny.
For a franchise that's history is rife with turnover and fresh starts, the next chapter for the Jets' front office has begun.
