May 15, 2019
The New York Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan on Wednesday morning and could have their sights on Joe Douglas, the Philadelphia Eagles' highly touted vice president of player personnel, according to multiple reports.
Maccagnan, who joined the Jets in early 2015, had two years left on his contract and had just completed an offseason that included the acquisitions of star running back Le'Veon Bell and linebacker C.J. Mosley. The Jets' VP of player personnel, Brian Heimerdinger, was also let go on Wednesday, leaving newly-hired head coach Adam Gase as the interim GM.
Multiple reports immediately linked the Jets to Joe Douglas, who has been with the Eagles since 2016 and has served as a key talent evaluator alongside Howie Roseman.
Jets have fired GM Mike Maccagnan and VP of Player Personnel Brian Heimerdinger, league sources told @jeffdarlington and me. Maccagnan had two years left on his contract.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2019
Jets are in position to have strong season thanks to Maccagnan and Heimerdinger.
Adam Gase is the Jets’ interim GM.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2019
Eagles’ vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas is close to Jets’ HC Adam Gase and has been discussed in league circles for a while now as the potential GM for the NYJ.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2019
#Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas makes a lot of sense for the #Jets GM job. With all of the movement in the #Eagles scouting department over the last few weeks, the team is probably preparing for the eventual departure of Douglas, this offseason or in future
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) May 15, 2019
Rumblings were rampant before the draft that Jets considering changing GMs and if so, Eagles exec Joe Douglas would be high on list of possible replacements. Strong ties to Adam Gase. We'll see.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 15, 2019
After the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, the uneasy question of whether Douglas would stick with the team long-term seemed to become a matter of when he'd leave, not if. Douglas will have options, as Albert Breer noted. He may not spring for New York, but it's doubtful the Jets would have made a move of this kind without a strong sense of who the organization wants leading its front office.
The rumblings come after the Raiders hired away former Eagles director of pro scouting Dwayne Joseph, signaling the possibility for additional changes in Philadelphia.
Douglas spent 15 seasons as a scout for the Baltimore Ravens and a season in Chicago as director of college scouting, where he worked alongside Gase, before joining the Eagles. He was already regarded as a "future GM" at the time of his hiring. It's starting to look like the future may be now.
