Joe Douglas receiving serious GM interest proves the Jets tax is real

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh officially landed a new job this week as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and he may not be the only member of the Jets’ former regime on the verge of a second act. Ex–Jets general manager Joe Douglas could soon find himself with a chance at redemption as well.

The Atlanta Falcons interviewed Douglas for their vacant general manager job on Friday, and he is seen as a legitimate candidate for the only open GM position in the NFL.

Douglas returned to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 as a senior personnel director and advisor to the general manager after being fired by the Jets late in the 2024 season, bringing an end to his disastrous six-year tenure with the organization.

Somehow, despite ranking among the worst general managers in NFL history by wins and losses, Douglas may be on the verge of getting another opportunity. At this point, it almost feels like a failed stint with the Jets has become a strange resume booster rather than a red flag.

Joe Douglas might already receive another GM opportunity after Jets firing

The Jets officially moved on from Douglas after Week 11 of the 2024 season, cutting ties following a 3–8 start that effectively sealed his fate. Douglas closed out his nearly six-year tenure in Florham Park with a staggering 30–64 record.

He ever managed to win more than seven games in a single season and presided over one of the bleakest stretches in franchise history. By the numbers, Douglas’ resume places him among the least successful front office executives the league has seen in the modern era.

Since 1977, his win-loss record ranks 105th out of 107 NFL executives who spent at least five years running a team. Remarkably, he finished with a worse record than both Mike Maccagnan and John Idzik, two predecessors widely panned for their own failures — yet Douglas lasted longer than both of them combined.

Most probably assumed that, after a tenure as disastrous as his, Douglas would have a difficult time finding work as a general manager ever again. Yet, less than two years later, he's already a finalist for the only GM opening in the NFL.

That reality suggests the league views the Jets' job as more of a trial run than a defining stop on a resume — they're essentially playing with house money. Failures with the Jets don’t seem to follow candidates elsewhere, and both Saleh and Douglas are living proof of that.

Heck, even former Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is seen as one of the favorites for the Arizona Cardinals' head coach job. It only reinforces the idea that time spent with the Jets is increasingly viewed around the league as context rather than a career killer.

It’s the Jets tax, and fans who’ve followed the team for years know it all too well. Joe Douglas may just be the latest beneficiary of that leaguewide phenomenon.