Joe Douglas saw his tenure as the Jets’ general manager come to an end midway through the campaign. The veteran executive will be back in a familiar place for 2025, though. 
Douglas is returning to the Eagles, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He will do so in a senior scouting role, per the report. Prior to taking on GM duties in New York, Douglas worked in the Eagles’ front office from 2016-19.
That stretch included time as Philadelphia’s VP of player personnel and thus as a key assistant to general manager Howie Roseman. After working together to build the franchise’s first Super Bowl-winning team from 2017, the pair will be reunited for 2025. This move comes in the wake of multiple notable departures in the Eagles’ front office.
Anthony Patch ended his lengthy stint as Philadelphia’s senior director of college scouting earlier this month when he joined the Raiders’ front office. The Eagles’ scouting department experienced another loss shortly thereafter when senior director of scouting Brandon Hunt also elected to head to Vegas. Douglas will aim to help replace those two upon reuniting with Roseman as the Eagles look to defend their second Super Bowl title.
The Jets won seven games on three occasions during Douglas’ tenure at the helm, but they posted an overall record of 32-68 and missed the playoffs ever year of his time in New York. Misses at the quarterback position played a key role in the team’s struggles over that stretch, which saw head coach Robert Saleh dismissed shortly before Douglas was. A new regime is now in place for the Jets, but to little surprise Douglas will continue his career in a familiar setting.
I’m getting a bad feeling there will be another article about Tom Brady being so wonderful that the Eagles front office staffers just couldn’t resist running off to Vegas…lol.
I got a hot take about Douglas that almost nobody will agree with me on:
I don’t think he is as bad a GM as his reputation might suggest.
Missing on Zach Wilson can be excused – he took a shot on the most important position. Id be more critical if he didn’t.
The fatal decision was putting all his eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket. By then, he was probably feeling a hot seat, so he turned to desperation. That decision cost him.
But Rodgers wasn’t even the first choice. Remember how hard they went for Carr?
I think its a different story if Carr signs. As a Bills fan – that Jets roster was pretty solid. He just needed a QB to complete it. They were always a tough out.
Robert Saleh didn’t have the chops to manage a narcissist like Rodgers – sure. But I don’t think Saleh was the problem.
I hate the Jets. I always will – but we are remembering that Jets team as much worse than they were. I still think they were closer than the record indicates. This was not the Adam Gase Jets.
Yeah I completely agree, and had Rodgers not gone down his first year they probably make the playoffs and have a completely different 2024.
I knew Wilson likely wasn’t the guy but I couldn’t fault Jets fans for buying into the hype. I definitely think Joe D put together a much better rebuilding roster than he gets credit for.
I don’t care.
Awesome. Nobody gives a f that you don’t care.
They were never making the playoffs with that offensive line, which is why they sucked when Rodgers got back last year too. If you can’t block, you can’t beat anybody. Football 101. It’s why I’m puzzled why the Steelrs want to go down that road. Their offensive line isn’t nearly as bad as the Jets, but it’s not good either.
I agree, he made a lot of solid personnel decisions, and his 2022 draft was an all-timer for the franchise. He brought in consistent talent and definitely created a foundation. He was often overly tantalized by potential, ignoring the lack of production when both drafting and signing FAs, though.
By the way, Rodgers was always our #1 QB target that offseason. The FO met with Carr first but never made a formal contract offer because they were holding out for Rodgers’ decision.
Hmmm…
I don’t have to be right about this, but I remember that differently.
I seem to remember the “first ballot HOF” long before the trade finally happened?
While Rodgers was still determining his course of action, the Jets brass had dinner with Carr but then never presented a formal offer. I also think Carr preferred other orgs and the Jets knew this, but it didn’t matter because Woody drove the bus on the QB search anyway and always wanted Rodgers. It seemed Carr was more of a fallback for the Jets, just as the Jets were a fallback for Carr.
I suspect Douglas and Saleh went along with Woody’s plan because of Rodgers’ resume (and kinda being forced to), but may have done so semi-reluctantly due to preferring Carr when comparing the stage of each QB’s career.
Even then, I’d say he largely did a good job outside of falling into quarterback quicksand. Aside from the quarterback stuff and all that went with it (like the not so merry band of Rodgers buddies), I’d say the biggest complaint I have is taking Becton over Wirfs, which seemed silly in the moment too.
Yeah, people conveniently forgetting that the owners and everyone on the offensive coaching staff and front office flew to meet him? Not to mention that they hired Hackett immediately after he got fired by the Broncos because that’s who he wanted as his OC. Reports at the time said the Jets told Carr they were pursuing Rodgers as first priority and wouldn’t commit to him as a starter, only the Saints would. However, I do think ownership took that decision out of both the coaches and front office’s hands. That was one hundred percent Woody.
I’m sure the Jets do not care nor like you either. But yet you keep talking about them a lot and can’t seem to get them out of your mind crazy huh?
Wut?
Im not allowed to have opinions in afc east teams?
Define alot?
Gtfoh weirdo.
Says the dude making a point to say he doesn’t care after talking about the subject.
*talks about the Jets* next reply *I don’t care* gets called out for it *Wut? Im not allowed to have opinions in afc east teams? Define alot?Gtfoh weirdo.* Someone sounds unhinged…
Yeah. One of us does.
Sure keep telling your yourself that because this is kind of funny.
No – not important – I don’t respect YOUR opinion.
You can take it personally if you like.
I just don’t think you are a valuable poster. Thats all. You are not nearly as insightful as you believe you are.
He was a bad GM. I don’t blame him for Rodgers because ownership clearly drove that move, but you have to remember that he was there a long time. He hired Adam Gase. He gave Bell that crazy contract. He did not give that team an offensive line over seven seasons. That’s not a small sample size. Clearly a prime example of everyone isn’t meant for the big chair.
Thats true – forgot about Bell.
I bet even Bell was surprised.
Your timeline is off, realfootballfan. Maccagnan signed Le’Veon Bell and hired Adam Gase.
Lol, you think Carr would have made a difference? In New York of all places? Did you watch him in New Orleans who had a better roster than the Jets when he got there? Not to mention that Douglas also hired Adam Gase, which always gets lost in the telling of his story. He hired two bad HCs, not one.
I think Carr would have, yes. Easily. Especially in the 2023 team.
I don’t even need to think he would have needed to be more than marginally better than Wilson for the Jets to be a playoff team.
It gets lost in the telling of his story because it wasn’t his story haha. You’re pinning that on the wrong GM. Mike Maccagnan hired Gase 6ish months before he was let go.
Thats right – I was doubting myself after he said that.
I had to look it up.
Douglas did not sign Bell and he inherited Gase.
I forgive him for misremembering; it was a convuluted situation–in true Jets fashion.
The Eagles draft picks during Douglas’s previous time with the Eagles wasn’t always stellar. But I imagine Howie will mainly be steering the ship.
He made some very solid picks going by what they needed at the time.
Reagor was obviously because of the screen and gadget heavy offense Doug ran and Howie seemed to prefer. The only genuinely bad pick was Arcega-Whiteside. Sanders was a home run and a steal at his draft slot.
I was thinking Dillard , Barnett and Sydney Jones
I know it was the Jets, but at the same time, he’s proof positive you never know how a guy will perform when he has to make most of the decisions. I thought that was a strong GM hire when it was made. He drafted some good players, but his HC hires were attrocious, especially hiring Gase right off the bat after he got fired by the Dolphins. I also would love to understand why he got so fixated on Zach Wilson early in that 2020 draft process despite the maturity red flags that were in plain sight.
Also, he never built an offensive line for them. Like he genuinely seems to be terrible at offensive line evaluation, which is odd considering the two organizations he cut his teeth with.
But isn’t it true that there is rarely a perfect roster in the NFL?
Most teams have some position that is weaker.