Former Jets GM Joe Douglas just got a humbling new NFL title

Joe Douglas is officially back where it all began. The Philadelphia Eagles announced a wave of front office changes on Monday, including the return of their former executive turned New York Jets general manager.

Douglas will officially serve as Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to general manager Howie Roseman, marking his first full-time NFL role since being fired by the Jets in November.

Douglas' homecoming completes a familiar cycle and mirrors the paths taken by fellow ex-Jets staffers Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich this offseason. Both Saleh and Ulbrich each returned to their respective franchises after being let go by the Jets as well.

The move both closes the book on Douglas' underwhelming Jets tenure and shows how his stock has fallen since being fired by New York. He's back in a familiar spot as Roseman's understudy, and that's probably for the best for everyone involved.

Joe Douglas lands his first NFL job since being fired by the Jets

Douglas' time with the Jets will ultimately be remembered as a series of misfires. The Jets hired Douglas in 2019 with the hope that he could be the man who would finally stabilize the franchise.

The ex-Ravens scout inherited a mess and briefly looked like the long-awaited savior, but like so many before him, the optimism quickly faded. There were flashes of hope, however.

Douglas' 2022 draft class, which produced both Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, remains arguably the best in franchise history.

He added legitimate building blocks like Quincy Williams, Breece Hall, etc., but none of that was enough to overcome his two biggest failures. Unfortunately, those failures came at arguably the two most important positions in the sport — quarterback and offensive line.

The Zach Wilson pick ultimately defined Douglas’ tenure. Drafted second overall in 2021, Wilson proved to be one of the biggest draft busts in recent NFL history. That miss set the franchise back years.

His offensive line woes didn’t help. Douglas made it clear from day one that he believed in building from the trenches, but his actions never backed up his claim.

His first-ever draft pick, Mekhi Becton, had a promising rookie year but couldn't stay healthy. The Jets cycled through dozens of linemen over his tenure, often fielding patchwork units of outcast veterans and mid-round failures.

Ironically, it wasn’t until his final year that Douglas finally assembled a competent offensive line. But by then, it was too late. The Aaron Rodgers experiment, which Douglas helped orchestrate, blew up four snaps into the 2023 season.

The team's 2024 campaign spiraled quickly, and Douglas was fired in November following a 3-8 start. By that point, he had become little more than a figurehead for Woody Johnson's organization, already living on borrowed time.

Now, Douglas returns to familiar territory in Philadelphia, where he spent four years as Vice President of Player Personnel before joining the Jets. He reunites with Roseman in arguably the most stable organization in professional football.

Douglas may never get another shot to run a team, but in Philly, he's back where the ride began. Full circle, for better or worse.

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