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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – The New York Jets completed their 23-day search for a general manager, hiring Philadelphia Eagles' vice-president of staff, Joe Douglas – an ally of new coach Adam Gase.
New York is giving Douglas a six-year contract, said Friday a source to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Douglas, 42, will be the fourth overall manager of the Jets over the past eight years, replacing Mike Maccagnan, who was sacked on May 15 after a power struggle with Gase.
The Jets hope that Douglas will be able to galvanize an organization in turmoil following Maccagnan's surprising ouster. This could be embarrassing for Douglas because one would have the impression that Gase, who served as interim general manager, takes the lead.
We have agreed to negotiate with Joe Douglas to be our next general manager. pic.twitter.com/tzQiWzNmkp
– New York Jets (@nyjets) June 8, 2019
Technically, Gase and Douglas will both report to CEO Christopher Johnson – the same power structure as the previous regime. Like Maccagnan, Douglas will control the roster of 53 players and will have the last word on the repechage and free placement, according to the Jets.
Douglas was the big favorite from the beginning, partly because of his connection with Gase. They worked with the Chicago Bears in 2015 and remained friends. Speculation on Douglas began to swirl before the draft, when rumors about Maccagnan 's job security began to sink.
The Jets interviewed four known candidates for the job: Douglas, Scott Fitterer, Seattle Seahawks Co-Director, Bears' Assistant Director of Staff, Champ Kelly, and Terry Fontenot, New Orleans Saints Player Recruitment Director.
The Jets would simply not take the "no" as a response from Douglas, said a source to Schefter. Douglas tried to refuse work and whenever he did, the team faced him more and more hard and the efforts to reach him simply do not go to be denied.
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They dined and dined Douglas Saturday night, with another meeting Sunday, before offering him the job.
Douglas inherits from a promising young quarterback in Sam Darnold, but he still faces many challenges. The Jets have not recorded a winning season since 2015 and have not reached the playoffs since 2010. The lineup includes a small core of talented players, led by the Pro Bowl security guard, Jamal Adams, but the gaps are many.
The situation is good for a year or two, but it could be complicated by Maccagnan's recent big names – the attacking midfielder Veon Bell and linebacker J.J. Mosley – reaching the second and third years of their contracts.
Douglas has no experience as a GM, but he is considered in league circles as a promising player. For the past three seasons, he has been the right hand of Howie Roseman at the Eagles front office, where he led the personnel department and led scouts. Eagles sources say he played a key role in the 2017 Super Bow Championship, but many said he believed Douglas was ready to leave.
He chaired three projects with the Eagles. The 2017 and 2018 projects lack star power and produced only two starters, a defensive end Derek Barnett and tight half Dallas Goedert, but a handful of players could become key contributors this season. It is important to remember that the Eagles had no capital in the works due to the Carson Wentz exchange in 2016.
Douglas grew up in the Baltimore Ravens organization. He started as a staff assistant in 2000 and progressed to the rank of national scout in 2015. Realizing that he had no chance to become general manager – Eric DeCosta was called Ozzie Newsome. apparent heir – Douglas moved to the Bears and Eagles.
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