NEW YORK (AP) – First, Robert Saleh. Now, Joe Douglas.
Woody Johnson is cleaning house for his woeful New York Jets in what has been a hugely disappointing season.
Douglas was fired Tuesday as the Jets’ general manager, the latest shakeup for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but has limped to a 3-8 start and appears likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year.
The dismissal of Douglas, who was 30-64 and had no winning seasons in his tenure, came exactly six weeks after Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 after the Jets were 2-3 to open the year.
“Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,” Johnson said in a statement issued by the team. “I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Johnson also announced that Phil Savage, who has served as a senior football adviser since 2019, will be the Jets’ interim general manager for the rest of the season. Johnson said the team would immediately begin the process of finding a new GM.
Douglas, who was in the final year of his contract after being hired in 2019, was not consulted by Johnson when the owner made the decision to dismiss Saleh and replace him on an interim basis with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. New York is 1-5 under Ulbrich.
Johnson said at the time he thought the Jets had “one of the most talented teams that has ever been assembled” in his 25 years as owner — and Douglas was largely responsible. But the absence of Douglas’ input in the firing of Saleh was a clear indication that the GM’s job could also be in jeopardy.