May 25, 2019
Ever since the New York Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan, rumors have swirled that they would turn their attention to Eagles personnel chief Joe Douglas for the job opening. On Friday, it was reported that the Jets have indeed requested to interview Douglas, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #Jets requests for GM interviews have gone out, sources say. Among them: #Eagles VP Player Personnel Joe Douglas and #Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel Champ Kelly. Two very respected evaluators.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 24, 2019
The Jets, objectively, are a disaster at the moment. They canned Maccagnan after allowing him to sign several high-priced free agents, including RB LeVeon Bell and LB C.J. Mosley, as well as allowing him to run a draft in which they had the No. 3 overall pick.
Maccagnan was let go as a result of a power struggle won by head coach Adam Gase, who Maccagnan hired, by the way. Gase immediately assumed interim GM responsibilities and quickly traded LB Darron Lee for a ham sandwich.
Hang on. You know what? It's pointless for me to do this. Just go read the Jets' timeline of events, as rounded up by Dom Cosentino of Deadspin. I'll wait. Done? Crazy, right?
And so, Douglas now has a difficult decision on his hands. GM job opportunities don't come around very often. I mean, there are only 32 of them, and they don't open up nearly as often as head coaching jobs, by comparison. If one is available and you don't take it, will another one come around?
On the other hand, it is extremely rare for a GM to lose their job, and then get another crack at it. Howie Roseman is a unique example of one who has. The overwhelming majority are one-and-done. Therefore, hitching your wagon to a nutjob like Chip Kelly 2.0 Adam Gase on your one chance at the pinnacle of the scouting food chain isn't exactly a no-brainer.
I claim no inside input from Douglas or anyone associated with him, but the guess here is that he'll wait and hope for a better situation to become available.
Also, for no reason whatsoever, here's this:
If Adam Gase and Dave Gettleman had a baby... pic.twitter.com/R4ZmsNDPKu
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) May 25, 2019
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