Tag: Joe Douglas

Takeaways from Jets’ Joe Douglas interview after 2024 NFL trade deadline

Takeaways from Jets’ Joe Douglas interview after 2024 NFL trade deadline

The New York Jets were one of the teams active at the 2024 NFL trade deadline.

The Jets (3-6) ended their experiment with wide receiver Mike Williams, trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Most point to two reasons as to why the Jets agreed to ship out Williams.

First, he was behind the eight ball due to his late arrival as he continued to recover from a 2023 ACL injury with the Los Angeles Chargers throughout most of the offseason. Other players got more involved in New York’s offense in that time.

And then, naturally, the Jets’ trade in the opposite direction which landed All-Pro receiver Davante Adams in New York.

Like others, Jets general manager Joe Douglas pointed to these reasons why he decided to ship Williams to Pittsburgh.

“This is a great opportunity for him to have a fresh start,” Douglas told reporters on Wednesday. ” It’s a move we wouldn’t have made had we not felt good about the guys we have in the room.”

“Us acquiring a player like Davante gives us the flexibility,” he added.

The Jets ended up landed a 2025 fifth-round draft pick for Williams in the trade.

Here are four more takeaways from Douglas’ interview following the 2024 NFL trade deadline:

Robert Saleh’s dismissal

(Getty)

When the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh, team owner Woody Johnson was the one in the spotlight answering for the decision. Johnson did note that Douglas was in the know but the final say was from the owner.

New York’s GM continued to toe that party line when asked about Saleh’s dismissal, saying: “I don’t really have anything to add.”

“All my energy, all of my focus has been on doing whatever I can to help Brick, his staff & the locker room turn this thing around. So that’s kind of where I’m at.”

Jeff’s review

(Imagn)

Saleh was out and Jeff Ulbrich was in. The defensive coordinator was named interim head coach.

So far, “Brick” has the Douglas seal of approval.

The GM referenced that he likes the experience that Ulbrich has both as a coach and former NFL player:

His personal future

(USAT)

With Saleh gone, could Douglas be next to go if the Jets don’t improve?

Douglas said he’s not worrying about that at the present time. That’s the expected answer:

Sitting at 3-6

(Imagn)

Like everyone else at 1 Jets Drive, Douglas did not imagine his team would be sitting at a 3-6 record at this point in the season. Douglas did express some belief moving forward, though… and credited Ulbrich in the process:

[lawrence-related id=699038,699033,699020]

3 position needs for the Jets at the 2024 NFL trade deadline

3 position needs for the Jets at the 2024 NFL trade deadline:

The 2024 NFL trade deadline has arrived on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.

At a 3-6 record, it’s unclear what direction the New York Jets could go. New York would have to rip off plenty of wins in the second half of the season to stay relevant, but as other moves have suggested, the front office with general manager Joe Douglas is “all in” on this year’s team.

And on top of that, they have not been afraid to make a deal after already doing so with wide receiver Davante Adams.

So could another trade be on the way?

If so, here are three positions the Jets could consider adding to at the trade deadline:

Tight end

(Imagn)

Tyler Conklin had back-to-back weeks with touchdowns for the Jets offense in Week 7 and 8. However, he reverted back to his usual levels in New York’s win over the Houston Texans with one catch for a loss of three yards. On top of that, Conklin had not scored a touchdown prior to those two since October 2022.

The Jets could stand to improve at the tight end position overall as well, as Pro Football Focus only grades Conklin as a 59.2 overall so far in 2024. Via their metrics, that’s good for only the 46th best tight end in the NFL. He’s not the best blocker.

Defensive tackle

(Imagn)

Aside from former top-draft pick Quinnen Williams, the Jets defense has gotten spotty play from the interior of their defensive line this year. Leki Fotu has struggled to be that run stopper New York needs… and his difficulties staying healthy and on the field have not helped. He’s already back on injured reserve for a second time since the offseason due to a knee injury.

Offensive line

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

While the Jets do have some younger pieces on their offensive line, others are not. Some of those veterans have had plenty of injury struggles throughout the 2024 season such as tackle Morgan Moses.

Offensive line depth is key in the NFL and is hard to come by. Like many others, New York does not have the best depth here considering first-round rookie tackle, Olu Fashanu, played guard against the Texans.

Fashanu admitted after the game that he had never lined up as a guard… ever. Not college and never even in high school. Depth would be nice, especially since quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ mobility has been under the spotlight this season.

[lawrence-related id=698975,698971,698966]

Jets general manager Joe Douglas is taking one last swing to save his job by trading for Davante Adams

Joe Douglas made another big name acquisition for the Jets. History isn’t on his side.

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is not familiar with success. This is an experience roughly on par with the Jets’ post-2010 existence.

It’s been nearly 14 years since New York’s last postseason invite. It’s been more than eight years since the Jets had a winning record. Douglas has been the roster-building architect behind six of those seasons. He’s watched two different coaches he was supposed to help guide to glory wind up fired.

He drafted Zach Wilson. He made Le’Veon Bell a “home run pickup,” per ESPN’s phrasing. He shipped off multiple high value draft picks for a 39-year-old quarterback coming off his least efficient season as a pro, then watched year one of his great experiment crumble thanks to a torn Achilles four plays into the season.

Douglas has cast his lot with Aaron Rodgers, a four-time MVP whose stature on the field rivals his presence off it. Since 2023, this has led to a 2-4 record in games the veteran has finished. But with the AFC East unsettled and an easy schedule ahead, New York’s season is far from over.

So, in dire need of a winning season to save his job, Douglas made a common sense move. He took a quarterback who has built an identity around reuniting with former teammates — see Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb — and reunited him with one of the best he’s ever had. Enter Davante Adams.

Adams was a common sense pickup, a move that can improve the league’s 22nd-ranked offense while keeping a frustrated star happy. By giving up a third round pick that could, but probably won’t, become a second-rounder, New York added a three-time All-Pro wide receiver who can fill the role Mike Williams has struggled to live up to this fall.

Will Adams fix things in a season where Rodgers has displayed bursts of his old MVP form but failed to sustain it? He should at least make them better.

The former Green Bay Packer and Las Vegas Raider turns 32 years old in December. His impact has waned since his stellar 2022. His yards per route run have slipped from 2.36 — ninth-best in the NFL — to 1.96 in 2023 to 1.63 this fall. Those numbers have been muted by uneven quarterback play and the hamstring injury that limited him to three games to start the season, but it’s still not a trend you want to see from a skill player on the wrong side of 30.

The most likely outcome is Adams emerges for something like five catches and 60 yards per game while making some clutch third down grabs. The optimistic version sees him explode for a few throwback performances while freeing up Garrett Wilson to thrive as Rodgers shakes off any notion of age-based regression and fires the clock back to 2021. The pessimistic one is, well, we’ve seen what Douglas’s other high profile wideout addition this season has done. Mike Williams has 10 catches in six games.

History suggests it will be the latter. Douglas has overseen a team that’s gone 29-60 under his stewardship. While some of his additions have been difference makers — C.J. Mosley! Sauce Gardner! Quincy Williams! — his track record with once-proven veterans is lacking.

Bell was a disaster. Breshad Perriman had 30 receptions as a Jet. Carl Lawson was the team’s highest paid player in 2021 and he rewarded that faith with seven total sacks.

Corey Davis got $27 million guaranteed and never rose above WR3 status. C.J. Uzomah got a bigger guarantee than anyone in New York’s 2022 free agent class and had 29 catches in green and white.

Dalvin Cook was washed in 2023. 2024’s two highest-salaried additions, Williams and Javon Kinlaw, were each detriments in the Jets’ Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

This means Adams may be Douglas’s last swing in an attempt to keep a job he has yet to prove he can do effectively. But most of his punches fail to land, especially when it comes to skill players (Allen Lazard’s four-year, $44 million contract is starting to look better, but that may be a result of Rodgers’ lobbying more than an actual Douglas decision).

For the Jets’ general manager to keep his job, he needs more than low-stakes optimism. He needs Rodgers and Adams to link up like it’s 2021 all over again. That’s a big risk for two players each aging out of their primes. But Douglas loves laying a bet on veterans on the downslope of their careers, even if they haven’t panned out for him.

Haason Reddick won’ t be returning to the Eagles via a trade

NFL rules state that the New York Jets can’t trade Haason Reddick back to the Philadelphia Eagles within a two year period

There’s been some talk of Haason Reddick being open to a return to Philadelphia to play for the Eagles, and while it sounds good, it won’t happen via a trade.

Reddick has yet to play a down for the Jets, while Philadelphia lacks a closer or dominant pass rusher off the edge. What looks like a simple resolution of Joe Douglas trading Reddick back to Howie Roseman can’t happen.

Per NFL rules, teams can’t trade a player and reacquire him via trade until two years elapse. If Reddick were to return to the Eagles, he’d have to be released or traded to Philadelphia by another team that would have to acquire the pass rusher from the Jets.

Last season, Reddick finished 15th in the league with 11 sacks and made his second straight Pro Bowl.

He recorded double-digit sacks for the fourth consecutive season, leading his team in that category and tying for 15th in the NFL. Outside of the sacks, though, Reddick’s numbers were poor by his standards.

His 38 tackles were the second-lowest mark of his career, and he didn’t force or recover a fumble after forcing five and recovering three last season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

One reason why the Jets aren’t in a rush to extend Haason Reddick? The offseason Will McDonald has had

Will McDonald has impressed the Jets this offseason.

Will McDonald has certainly flashed enough in training camp and preseason, enough to lead to some praise from New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. It might be enough to make the Jets a little more patient with the Haason Reddick holdout situation.

McDonald, a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is coming off a rookie season where he played in 15 games. All told, he registered 14 total tackles and three sacks as well as a forced fumble.

As for Reddick, he was acquired by the Jets in a trade this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reddick is an elite edge rusher, with double-digit sacks in each of his last four seasons. Last year for the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 38 total tackles in 17 games.

In speaking with the media on Thursday, Douglas praised McDonald for his strong offseason.

“I think Will’s had a superb camp, and I think Will’s come in on a mission,” Douglas told reporters on Thursday.

“His skills are undeniable, and I feel like he can really bring some elite athleticism off the edge, his change of direction, and his speed off the ball, his counter, and he’s one of those guys that constantly working to improve every day, so you’d love to see Will take that step that Jermaine (Johnson) took last year. Each person is different in their development, but I think we’ve seen a lot of positive practices, and positive ascension from Will.”

As for Reddick, there is no movement on his contract situation.

[lawrence-related id=695941,695935,695906]

That could mean no Reddick for the Jets season opener in a little over a week.

“Well, I think we’ve done that for most of training camp and we’ve prepared,” Douglas said about preparing for Reddick to not report to the Jets in time for Week 1.

“We’ve gone through training camp without him. Obviously, we still want him here. Excited to have him. Again, can’t wait until he comes in and everyone here is going to welcome him with open arms.”

Joe Douglas remains uncertain of when Haason Reddick will arrive at the Jets

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas talks about Haason Reddick’s holdout.

There hasn’t been a change in the status of Haason Reddick according to New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. Reddick’s training camp holdout was the only dark spot in what has been an otherwise sunny offseason for the Jets.

Reddick is in the final year of his contract with the Jets. He was acquired in a trade this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In each of his last four seasons, Reddick has double-digit sacks. Last year for the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 38 total tackles in 17 games.

Douglas spoke on Thursday during a media availability.

“Nothing’s changed from our end. Obviously a ton of respect for Haason and awaiting his arrival,” Douglas told reporters.

“Looking forward to when he does. He will be welcomed with open arms.”

Douglas wouldn’t say that there is any “frustration” over the situation. He spoke of a respect for Reddick as a person and a player and that “we think he can help us win games.”

[lawrence-related id=695928,695918,695891]

“Felt really good about the conversations leading up to and at the moment of the trade,” Douglas said.

“So, again, we’re going to be excited to have him when he decides to arrive.”

With the season set to open on Sept. 9 at the San Francisco 49ers, Douglas was unsure of if and when Reddick would report to the Jets.

“I can’t lay out any expectations right now,” Douglas said.

“But when he does arrive – we’re all going to be excited.”

Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez won’t make the 53-man roster

Here’s why New York Jets GM Joe Douglas couldn’t commit to Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez.

Through three weeks of NFL preseason, quarterbacks Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez gave it everything they had. Still, New York Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas could not commit to their talents as essential to the 2024 mission.

Fate only came to fruition for Martinez and Peasley yesterday. Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor was always destined to secure the No. 2 slot on the quarterback depth chart and rookie Jordan Travis was only non-participatory because of injury.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by New York Jets (@nyjets)



The Jets simply could not afford to fumble off such tremendous talent on the defensive side of the football so Peasley & Martinez caught the bad end of the sleight.

Peasley & Martinez finished the 2024 preseason with 1 touchdown pass on 80 combined pass attempts.

ESPN positional rankings underscore that the time is now for the New York Jets

ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler believes that the New York Jets are currently in their window of opportunity.

Pragmatically and at times painfully, the New York Jets have pieced together a roster that is among the best in the NFL. And one ESPN reporter believes that the roster is good enough to be contenders this year.

And for the Jets, the argument can be made that this is the most talented roster that they’ve assembled in franchise history.

Consider a recent tweet from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler about the Jets.

Not one given to knee-jerk reactions or hot takes, Fowler has been releasing a ranking survey over the last few days of the top players in the NFL. Fowler has culled this information from conversations with league executives and scouts.

And while Jets fans might quibble with the placement of certain players on the list (*cough* Sauce Gardner is the third-ranked cornerback in the ESPN survey *cough*), the big picture still remains promising for the franchise as a whole.

And Fowler underscored that with this tweet about the talent level on the Jets roster. It is certainly a fair assessment of where things stand on the Jets roster:

 

Yes, there are question marks about the health of quarterback Aaron Rodgers (eighth in the NFL according to ESPN) and the revamped offensive line still has to prove itself. But every NFL team has at least one major question on their roster and this shouldn’t be held against the Jets when projecting their season.

[lawrence-related id=695039,695037,694964]

Now, the Jets still need to go out there and prove it, but general manager Joe Douglas has certainly done a masterful job of building this team both through free agency and the NFL draft.

And that puts the Jets in a prime spot to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.

Jets targeted Malachi Corley as high as No. 40 in draft, per report

Jets targeted Malachi Corley as high as No. 40 in draft, per report

The Jets jumped on the opportunity to trade up to the No. 65 pick in the 2024 draft to select Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley. The Jets only had to send a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to make the deal happen. However, according to a recent report from ESPN, the Jets were seemingly willing to go much higher.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently shared draft nuggets on all 32 teams and his notes on the Jets included a note on their interest in Corley. Fowler reports the Jets were monitoring Corley as high as No. 40 in a potential trade. The Washington Commanders originally held that pick but ultimately traded it to the Philadelphia Eagles, who would select Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.

New York originally held the No. 72 pick in the third round. Using the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the No. 40 pick is worth 500 points and the 72nd pick is worth 230. The Jets likely would have had to part with a third, maybe even a second, in next year’s draft to make the deal happen. Jets general manager Joe Douglas showed patience, nervously waiting at Corley survived through the second round.

Once Carolina got on the clock to begin Round 3, Douglas made his move. In the end, New York only sent a Day 3 pick to land Corley and added a third-round pick in next year’s draft in the midst of their three moves in the fourth round.

Jets to pick up Alijah Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option

The Jets are exercising Alijah Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option for 2025.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas just wrapped up the 2024 draft and is in the middle of recapping and signing undrafted free agents. In the process, he shared some news on a player from the 2021 draft.

Douglas told the media after the draft the team is picking up the fifth-year option on guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, the 14th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. According to Over the Cap, the option is projected to be worth a guaranteed $15,313,000. He only qualifies for the basic option as his playtime was less than 75% on average over his first three seasons, he did not play 75% of the snaps in two of the three seasons and his snap count was less than 50% over all three seasons. He also did not make any Pro Bowls.

Vera-Tucker has missed majority of the last two seasons due to tricep and Achilles injuries. However, when healthy, he is still one of the top linemen for the Jets and will be back at right guard this season. The Jets plan to keep him there and not bounce him around as they have throughout his career.

The $15,313,000 Vera-Tucker will make on the option currently sits as the third-highest base salary among guards for the 2025 season. Only Panthers guard Robert Hunt ($15,850,000) and Chiefs guard Joe Thuney ($15,500,000) are currently scheduled to make more.