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Most Jets fans were clear about their desire for the team to go 0-16 once it was clear the 2020 season was going nowhere. They dreamed of No. 1 draft pick and Clemson star Trevor Lawrence. Then the Jets took a shocking 23-20 victory over the Rams on December 20 and the first pick went to Jacksonville.
Celebrated players and coaches. The fans got angry. But what about general manager Joe Douglas who would have been the one who made this selection of Lawrence?
“I was happy for these guys,” Douglas said Tuesday. “These guys never backed down. The week before we had flown to Seattle and it was a bad one. Your thought process was, how are these guys going to react? Coming back to the West Coast, playing a great team in the LA Rams and leading from start to finish, I was so proud of how these guys fought. They never backed down. I just know from being in the locker room how much joy and excitement there was in these guys. There was nobody on that team, nobody in this organization who wanted to go from 0 to 16 and have that scarlet letter on their resume for the rest of their career.
This victory makes Douglas’s job more difficult this offseason. Instead of making the easy decision to take Lawrence, he now has to weigh in on whether to take a No.2 quarterback like Justin Fields or Zach Wilson or stick with Sam Darnold.
Jets CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson said on Monday that the team was looking for a coach to lead the entire team, a “CEO” type coach. But what if this coach wants to control the staff too? It is currently the domain of Douglas.
“I think that’s a good question for Christopher,” said Douglas. “At the end of the day, I think we’re looking for a great partner to come here and work hand in hand. We’re going to lock our arms and we’re going to try to turn this around together. I think this is the quality we are looking for.
Johnson said on Monday the team would consider changing their organizational structure so that the new coach would report to the GM rather than leaving them as equals under ownership.
“For me, it’s about the person,” he says. “It doesn’t matter to me. I just hope to attract the right person, the right leader, to this position. “
Douglas said the team are keen to bring back safety Marcus Maye, who could become a free agent in March. Douglas said it was a priority.
Douglas said he had not spoken to LB CJ Mosley, who has opted out this season, but has four years left on the contract he signed with the Jets in 2019. Douglas said he would report to Mosley soon.
Douglas on whether to regret trading Jamal Adams safety to the Seahawks: “I’m glad Jamal has the opportunity to make the playoffs. I wish him every success. I would say we didn’t look in the rearview mirror once we made our decision on Jamal and were delighted with what we were able to receive in the trade for him. It is now up to us to find the right players with the resources that we have acquired in the trade.
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