NFL

Jets fire general manager Joe Douglas

A reset — a needed one — has commenced in Florham Park. Douglas was viewed as a virtual lock to lose this job after this season, but Woody Johnson is doing the prudent thing and moving on from the general manager early.

There’s no question as to why. Since appearing in back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010, New York has been in a tailspin, and Douglas’ tenure was no different. The Jets compiled a 30-64 record under the former general manager’s watch, a laughable mark considering the five-plus seasons Douglas was afforded to build the roster.

Save for the win column, it wasn’t all bad for the Jets under Douglas. New York hit on its fair share of draft picks during his time with the team, including Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson, but the quarterback position was never addressed — at least not successfully. The 2021 selection of Zach Wilson was an all-time whiff, and the 2023 trade for Aaron Rodgers hasn’t worked out, either.

The next general manager of the Jets will walk into a decent situation. Yes, the franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 — an embarrassing drought — but the cupboard isn’t bare. The new hire will also get to hire a new head coach and bring in a new quarterback, assuming Rodgers isn’t retained. New York needed a fresh start, and it’s coming.

Grade: A