Tag: Joe Douglas

Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas with ‘Draft Day’ scenario drafting Malachi Corley

Malachi Corley, no matter what.

The 2014 movie “Draft Day” followed the story of Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr looking to turn his team around. When the draft happens, the Browns move all over the board but ultimately stick to their plan of “Vontae Mack, no matter what.”

The Jets may have just had their own Draft Day scenario play out. The team shared what they claim is a real text message exchange between head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. The jist of the chat is that it was Malachi Corley, no matter what.

Sure enough, the Jets got their man, the wide receiver from Western Kentucky, with the 65th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, moving up from No. 72 in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. New York sent a fifth-round pick to the Panthers to get the deal done.

The Jets tried to trade into the second round but ultimately couldn’t find a team willing to trade down that far. Fortunately for them, Corley fell into the third round and Douglas struck. The Jets now have the YAC King. They’ll likely also be going to Corley’s birthday party in the coming years.

Jets remain open to trading Zach Wilson, who is skipping voluntary workouts

Jets remain open to trading Zach Wilson, who is skipping voluntary workouts

Zach Wilson is still a quarterback for the New York Jets…for now. It still remains a question of “when” not “if” the Jets will trade the former No. 2 overall pick.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas met with the media for his pre-draft press conference Friday and was asked about the status of Wilson. Douglas called Wilson an “asset” but that the team remains open to trading Wilson and that “there have been discussions.”

Wilson is currently skipping the voluntary workouts as he and the Jets remain in limbo over the trade discussions.

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There are a couple factors that are making trading Wilson a little more difficult for the Jets. First, many quarterback situations and even backup situations have been settled across the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers added both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Arizona Cardinals acquired Desmond Ridder to back up Kyler Murray and Buffalo brought back Mitch Trubisky as Josh Allen’s understudy, just to name a few.

Another obstacle is Wilson $5.45 million in fully guaranteed compensation, including a $4.3 million roster bonus due at the start of training camp. The Jets will either have to eat some of that money or attach a draft pick in order to facilitate a trade. If the Jets simply cut Wilson, they see no cap relief at all. But that may be an option the Jets ultimately have to take.

Whether it’s before, during or after the draft next week, one thing seems pretty certain: Wilson isn’t going to be a Jet much longer. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor on the roster and Douglas talked about wanting to have a “quarterback factory” like the Green Bay Packers of the 1990’s. That could lead to believe the Jets will take a quarterback later in the draft (Jordan Travis? Michael Pratt? Devin Leary?).

It’s just a matter of time at this point. Wilson is no longer part of that factory.

Adam Schefter says free agency has helped take pressure off Jets in draft

“They’ve taken the pressure off them with what they’ve done during free agency.” – Adam Schefter

The Jets, unsurprisingly, have been aggressive in free agency and have tried to patch as many holes as possible for this win-now mode in 2024. The Jets filled all three open spots on the offensive line by signing former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith and former Ravens guard John Simpson as well as trading for Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses.

The Jets also essentially swapped Bryce Huff for Haason Reddick after losing the former to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency before trading for the latter just last week. Not to mention, the Jets found a new No. 2 wide receiver in former Charger Mike Williams. The Jets are once again all in for this season, knowing major changes are coming if things don’t work out.

Because of all these moves, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes the pressure is off the Jets and general manager Joe Douglas when it comes to the draft. Schefter spoke with Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg about his thoughts on the Jets’ free agency and why the Jets now have options when the first round of the draft rolls around on April 25.

“That’s the great part about it,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said at the NFL League Meetings last week in Orlando, via the Jets’ official website. “They addressed so many needs that they don’t have to come away with anything. I don’t mind the idea if there’s a guy like [Michigan QB] J.J. McCarthy still sitting there, if Minnesota or Denver or Las Vegas wants to come up to the Jets spot and the Jets get extra picks, there’s nothing wrong with that. They have options. … They’ve taken the pressure off them with what they’ve done during free agency.”

Before free agency, almost every mock draft had the Jets taking an offensive tackle because it felt like it was a lock the Jets had to address the position in the draft. Then they landed Smith and Moses, so now a tackle doesn’t have to be forced. The Jets absolutely could still take a tackle with the 10th pick, but now the door is open for a wide receiver such as Washington’s Rome Odunze or a tight end like Georgia’s Brock Bowers.

Even a trade, one way or the other, is now not out of the realm of possibility. The Jets do have some flexibility now following their free agency spree and rebuilding the offensive line. Remember, the Jets currently do not have a pick in the second round thanks to the Aaron Rodgers trade. Perhaps they look to trade down to get a pick back in that spot. On the other hand, if the board falls a certain way, an aggressive trade up (Marvin Harrison Jr?) also has to be considered. All options are on the table.

There’s always pressure on a team, especially one in the position the Jets are in. But they’ve made themselves an interesting team to watch later this month in Detroit.

Mike Williams probably won’t be ready for start of training camp, Jets hopeful for start of season, says Joe Douglas

Mike Williams probably won’t be ready for start of training camp, Jets hopeful for start of season, says Joe Douglas

New Jets wide receiver Mike Williams still has a ways to go in his recovery from his ACL injury last season. “A long way to go,” as head coach Robert Saleh put it.

That road will last until at least past the start of training camp. Speaking at the Annual League Meeting Monday in Orlando, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said Williams probably won’t be ready for the start of training camp but that the team is hopeful he will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Saleh compared Williams’ timeline to that of running back Breece Hall when he had his ACL recovery last offseason. Hall was limited throughout the preseason and early in the regular season before the Jets started letting him loose about a month into the season.

The Jets structured Williams’ contract in a way that protects them if Williams can’t play but gives Williams plenty of opportunities to make more money by being available and producing for the team. His base value for the contract is $10 million with another $5 million available via incentives.

Not having Williams at the outset of training camp stings a bit for the Jets, but they were likely aware of this anyway when they signed him. They just need him to produce during the season and help take pressure off of Garrett Wilson.

Jets GM Joe Douglas responds to Dion Dawkins’ recent remarks

Dawkins said a lot:

The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are set for a few royal rumbles in 2024 thanks to Dion Dawkins.

The Bills left tackle recently said in an interview that he “hates all of them,” referring to the Jets. He specifically pointed out Micheal Clemons in an NSFW manner.

The two do have a history together as dust-ups between the Bills and Jets involving them both have occurred. On one occasion, Clemons was ejected from a game. In another, Dawkins and Clemons got into a shoving match in the tunnel of Highmark Stadium after the final whistle.

Clemons has yet to comment, but New York general manager Joe Douglas had a chance to respond to it at the 2024 NFL combine.

“Respect has to be earned, and it has to be taken,” Douglas said. “There is really nothing to say. Words are meaningless.”

Douglas’ full response can be found in the WIVB-TV clip below:

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Jets won’t use franchise tag on Bryce Huff, but ‘ideally Bryce is back’

The Jets won’t be tagging Bryce Huff, still hope to bring him back.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas confirmed the team will not use the franchise tag on Bryce Huff this offseason but that the ideal situation is the Jets are able to re-sign Huff.

“Obviously Bryce, unbelievable season,” Douglas said, via the Jets’ official website. “A great teammate, great player and a player that is very deserving to find out what his value is in the open market. The plan is not to tag Bryce at that 21-plus [million dollar] number, but the plan is to continue talking with the agents. Ideally, Bryce is back. Ten sacks is a very valuable thing to our defense and our team. We’re going to have those discussions moving forward and we have a little bit of time before that tampering window starts.”

The tampering window Douglas mentioned begins March 11 at noon eastern. Free agency and the new league year officially begins March 13 at 4:00pm eastern.

Pro Football Focus projects Huff to get a three-year, $50 million contract with $35 million guaranteed. The Jets used Huff as more of a pass-rush specialist while Huff wants to get more playing time and see more snaps against the run. With less than two weeks before other teams can talk to Huff, time is of the essence. The Jets want to keep Huff but $21 million for one year is proving a little too costly.

Chargers hiring Chad Alexander as assistant general manager

Joe Horitz and Chad Alexander have a 20-year working relationship.

The Chargers are hiring Chad Alexander to become their assistant general manager, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Alexander finished his fifth season as the Jets’ director of player personnel. In that role, he worked closely with general manager Joe Douglas and former assistant general manager Rex Hogan.

Before joining the Jets, Alexander worked with the Ravens for 20 seasons in various roles starting in 1999. He was an area scout, pro scout and a personnel assistant before being promoted to assistant director of pro personnel, a role he held for nine seasons.

Alexander is familiar with Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz, having worked in Baltimore together for two decades.

Prior to joining the NFL ranks, Alexander played football at Wake Forest and finished with a degree in communications.

Jets part ways with assistant general manager Rex Hogan

Jets part ways with assistant general manager Rex Hogan

The Jets and assistant general manager Rex Hogan have parted ways, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Hogan had been the assistant to general manager Joe Douglas since 2019, when Douglas was named GM, starting his second stint with the Jets. Hogan was also director of college scouting under then-GM Mike Maccagnan. In total, Hogan spent seven seasons with the Jets organization with two years with the Colts (2017-2018) in between.

This will allow Hogan to explore more opportunities. He is widely respected around the league and should land another gig very soon.

Joe Douglas on 2024: ‘We need to win’

Jets general manager Joe Douglas knows he can’t afford another bad season in New York.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas wants to win. Chances are, he knows now he has to win in 2024. He said as much during his end of season press conference Monday.

“We need to win,” Douglas said Monday. “My record (20-47 in four full seasons as general manager) is not good enough and I know that and everything we do moving forward is to win and that is it, that is all that matters.”

It’s not every day a general manager gets to a fifth full season with that type of record, but owner Woody Johnson still has faith in Douglas (and seeing things through with Aaron Rodgers). Douglas has yet to post a winning record in his time with the Jets. Even if you include 2019, when Douglas was hired but after the draft, Douglas is 27-56.

Douglas may not come right out and say it, but he has to at least feel deep down he is fighting for his job next season. The Jets will have a lot of expectations surrounding them yet again. If they don’t live up to those expectations, things will look a lot different in New York in 2025.

Free agency and the draft will be huge for the Jets. New York has about $21 million in cap space to start 2024 and will hold the No. 10 pick in the draft.

Robert Saleh confirms roster decision on Aaron Rodgers was made by team, not Rodgers

The Jets confirmed Tuesday it was their decision to activate Aaron Rodgers from injured despite knowing he won’t play this season.

The Jets caused a stir when they chose to activate quarterback Aaron Rodgers a few days before Christmas despite being eliminated from playoff contention and knowing Rodgers would not play in a game the rest of the season. Rodgers was seen as selfish for wanting to take away a roster spot from another player.

On Tuesday, Rodgers and head coach Robert Saleh clarified that decision. Rodgers was essentially overruled by the team. Rodgers had wanted to stay on injured reserve and do football work on the side. The Jets made the decision to activate Rodgers, citing roster flexibility as a reason. In a related move, the Jets waived fullback Nick Bawden, then re-signed him to the practice squad and elevated him for Week 16 against the Washington Commanders.

Rodgers discussed the situation during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I assumed I was going to go on IR,” said Rodgers, via ESPN. “I asked to be put on IR, but then there was a conversation, ‘Do you want to practice?’ I said not at the expense of somebody getting cut. I know how this works.

“I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side, but, obviously, I got overruled there. It is what it is. This was an interesting situation.”

Saleh had a chance to clarify the situation himself and also confirmed it was the team and general manager Joe Douglas who ultimately made the decision to bring Rodgers back to the 53-man roster.

“Yeah, that was Joe and I,” Saleh said. “[Rodgers] expressed concern about taking up someone’s roster spot and all that stuff and what it meant, but like I told you guys, we had roster flexibility, just like we told him, and we had the ability to do it and so we did it.”

Ultimately, the player who left the Jets as a result was practice-squad cornerback Kalon Barnes. As for Bawden, his salary was guaranteed as a vested veteran on the roster in Week 1. The Jets can elevate Bawden for the remaining two games of the season against the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots.