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Well, it’s official. The New York Jets announced they’ve hired Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas as their new general manager.
Adam Schefter reports Douglas originally turned the Jets down multiple times but New York continued to push to hire him:
Jets just would not take “no” as an answer from Joe Douglas. He tried to turn down the Jets and each time he did, they came back at him harder and harder. Jets simply were not going to be denied in their efforts to land the former Eagles’ vice president of player personnel.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2019
Douglas was long rumored to be the Jets’ top GM choice in part due to his relationship with head coach Adam Gase. His reputation as one of the league’s better personnel executives was obviously working in his favor as well. Douglas has been part of Super Bowl winning organizations with the Baltimore Ravens and the Eagles.
Douglas’ departure should hardly be a death knell to the Eagles. Howie Roseman was and will continue to have final say when it comes to Philadelphia’s personnel moves. Still, it would’ve been preferable to retain Douglas and maintain front office stability if possible.
Another downside to Douglas leaving is that he could potentially be bringing some more Eagles front office executives with him to the Jets. Douglas had a role in the Eagles hiring some former Ravens scouting staff members over the past few years. Philly already lost former direct of pro scouting Dwayne Joseph to the Oakland Raiders earlier this year. Now Douglas and some others might be leaving Philly as well.
It remains to be seen who the Eagles will hire to replace Douglas. There’s been speculation that Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry — who was hired earlier this year — could see an elevated role. It’s also worth noting that the Eagles previously showed interest in former Houston Texans general manager Brian Gaine, who was fired just earlier today.
Here’s wishing Douglas the best with the Jets. It’s hardly to precisely parse his impact on the Eagles but the bottom line is that he contributed to the team’s first Super Bowl win in some fashion. The Eagles have been a successful team with Douglas in the building. Now he’s headed to New York to try to revive a dysfunctional franchise.
UPDATE: Eagles EVP of football operations Howie Roseman put out a statement regarding the Douglas news:
“We want to thank Joe Douglas for his contributions to our organization. We will miss Joe personally and professionally. He’s a tireless worker who played an integral role in helping to construct our Super Bowl-winning roster. He deserves this opportunity and the Jets are lucky to have him as their GM just like we were to have him in Philadelphia. In addition to his skills as a talent evaluator, we can’t say enough about Joe as a person. He is one of the best family men I have come across in the NFL. We wish him, his wife Shannon, and his children all the best.”