Jets Rumors: Joe Douglas Felt 'Relief' After Firing as GM amid Team's Struggles

Former New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas reportedly wasn't too broken up over his firing earlier this week.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic spoke to an NFL executive close to Douglas who said the GM felt a sense of "relief" after he was told he was being let go. Much of that relief reportedly stemmed from the fact that he wouldn't have to deal with the "challenges" of working under Jets owner Woody Johnson any longer.

The exec added that Douglas went fishing hours after his firing, and it was "the happiest he's sounded in a long time."

Douglas, 48, left his post as the Philadelphia Eagles' vice president of player personnel in 2019 to take his first NFL GM job with the Jets.

While there was hope he would be able to get the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, their drought is now on the verge of extending to the 14-year mark.

Since Adam Gase was already in place as head coach when Douglas was hired, his first only head coach hiring with the Jets came prior to the 2021 season when he brought in Robert Saleh.

After the Jets missed the playoffs in each of Saleh's first three seasons at the helm, he was unable to survive a fourth, as the Jets fired him after a 2-3 start this season.

The writing appeared to be on the wall regarding Douglas' status once Saleh was fired, but Russini reported that many in the NFL were "stunned" by the timing of his firing, while Saleh was "very upset and emotional" when he heard about it since he assumed the Jets would allow him to finish out the season.

Despite that, Douglas reportedly "knew change was coming," which suggests he may not have been as surprised by the move as others.

Johnson reportedly made the decision to fire Douglas during the bye week since he felt it would have been disrespectful to be searching for Douglas eventual replacement while he was still with the team.

The main factor that marred Douglas' tenure in New York was an inability to find an answer at the quarterback position.

Sam Darnold was the starter when Douglas arrived, and once it became clear that Darnold would not be the Jets' franchise quarterback, they moved on and selected Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

That proved to be disastrous, but the Jets made one last-ditch effort to save Douglas and Saleh by acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2023 season.

However, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles on the Jets' first offensive series of the 2023 season, causing him to miss the rest of the campaign.

While Rodgers returned as the starting quarterback this season, he clearly hasn't been the same player he once was at nearly 41 years old and coming off a major injury.

Although there are six games remaining in the Jets' season, they are likely already looking ahead to some major decisions that need to be made during the offseason, including a new general manager and head coach, and whether Rodgers will return as the quarterback in 2025.