Most Jets fans made it clear that they wanted the team to score 0-16, as it became clear that the 2020 season was not going anywhere. They were dreaming of the No. 1 draft choice and Clemson’s star, Trevor Lawrence. Then, the Jets had a shocking 23-20 win over the Rams on December 20 and choice # 1 went to Jacksonville.
Players and coaches celebrated. The fans smoked. But what about general manager Joe Douglas, who would have been responsible for choosing Lawrence?
“I was happy for these guys,” said Douglas on Tuesday. “These guys never gave up. The week before, we had flown to Seattle and that was a terrible one. His thought process was, how are these guys going to respond? Flying back to the West Coast, playing with a great team at the LA Rams and basically leading from start to finish, I was so proud of the way these guys fought. They never gave up. Just being in the locker room, I know how much joy and excitement there was in these guys. There was no one on this team, no one in this organization who wanted to go from 0 to 16 and have that red letter on their resume for the rest of their career. “
That victory makes Douglas’s job more difficult this off-season. Instead of the easy decision to make Lawrence, he must now weigh whether he will take a quarterback in second place, like Justin Fields or Zach Wilson, or stay with Sam Darnold.
Jets CEO and President Christopher Johnson said on Monday that the team is looking for a coach to lead the entire team, a “CEO” type coach. But what if that coach wants to control the staff too? This is currently Douglas’ domain.
“I think it’s a good question to ask Christopher,” Douglas said. “At the end of the day, I think we are looking for a great partner who will come here, work hand in hand. Let’s cross our arms and try to turn this thing around. I think this is the quality we are looking for. “
Johnson said on Monday that the team would consider changing its organizational structure so that the new trainer would report to GM, rather than having them as equals reporting to the property.
“For me, it’s about the person,” he said. “It does not matter to me. I just want to attract the right person, the right leader for this job. “
Douglas said the team wants to bring back the security of Marcus Maye, who may become a free agent in March. Douglas said it is a priority.
Douglas said he didn’t speak to LB CJ Mosley, who dropped out of this season, but has four years left on the contract he signed with the Jets in 2019. Douglas said he will be checking in to Mosley soon.
Douglas on whether he has any regrets about switching safety Jamal Adams to the Seahawks: “I’m happy that Jamal has the opportunity to compete in the playoffs. I wish him success. I would say that we didn’t look in the rearview mirror after we made our decision about Jamal and are excited about what we were able to get for him. Now it’s up to us to find the right players with the resources we acquire from the trade. “