Domingo marks 660 days since the Jets hired Joe Douglas as their general manager.
Since June 7, 2019, Douglas has made big changes to the list, but it still looks like he hasn’t put his mark on the Jets yet. In a way, it still looks like he’s new to work. His biggest move so far was a subtraction, not an addition: the replacement of Jamal Adams last summer.
This is about to change.
It is becoming clear that Douglas is about to take BYU defender Zach Wilson as the second overall choice in this year’s NFL draft and leave Sam Darnold.
It is a change that will dictate strongly what the next years will be – and possibly more – for the Jets. It is a movement that will define Douglas’ management. It is a move that involves many risks and will have devastating effects on the Jets and Douglas if he is wrong.
The six-year contract he received two years ago is not a lifetime contract. At some point, the Jets will have to win under Douglas’ supervision. They are 9-23 in their two years with the team. At that time, former GM Mike Maccagnan and former coach Adam Gase received most of the blame for this record from fans and the media. Those days are almost over, however. Maccagnan’s influence on the squad will be felt for another year. Gase was replaced by Robert Saleh, handpicked by Douglas.
Now, it looks like he’s going to write his quarterback. It is possible, of course, that the Jets decide to stay with Darnold, but everything indicates that they are ready to move on. That’s what people in the league have been whispering for weeks. Douglas, Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur traveled to Provo, Utah, on Friday to watch a pitch by Wilson during BYU’s professional day, in a demonstration of how serious they are about the quarterback.
Then, the 49ers and the Eagles made negotiations that indicated that they knew the Jets were planning to take Wilson at No. 2. San Francisco rose to No. 3 and reportedly not even made an offer to the Jets, perhaps because they knew the Jets. Jets’ plans are already defined. The Eagles would have moved up to No. 3, but only for draft Wilson. Philadelphia decided to return to 12th place, probably knowing that Wilson would not be there after choosing the Jets.
The 49ers and the Eagles are two teams closely linked to the Jets’ command. Saleh and LaFleur spent just four years with the 49ers. Douglas was an executive of the Eagles before taking over from Jets. These teams probably know what the Jets are thinking better than most.
If Wilson chooses, the move comes with more risk than any other Douglas has ever done here. He is usually happy with base strikes and folds, but this is a blow to the fences. If it works, it will be Babe Ruth. If he fails, he will look smaller than Dr. Ruth.
Wilson, 21, is not sunk. A year ago, it would be ridiculous to think of him as choice number two. Wilson had 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in his 2019 season, and entered last year in a competition for the title holder. But after he launched 33 touchdown passes and was intercepted three times in 2020, he fired draft boards. There are doubts about the level of competition he has faced and he has had shoulder surgery.
As the Jets saw when they recruited Darnold in 2018, it’s embarrassing when you choose the wrong quarterback. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson proved to be better players than Darnold in the first three seasons. The Jets, by choosing Wilson, would be risking Justin Fields, Trey Lance or Mac Jones becoming a star.
Then, there is Darnold. If he goes to another team and the potential that we saw glimpse into a complete production, Douglas may be red in the face.
Douglas’s first two years in office seemed to be approaching that moment, when he could make his Jets list his own. The next two years will be defined by how that decision will work.