Joe Douglas wasn’t too upset after getting canned by the Jets on Tuesday.
The team’s former general manager said he felt ‘a sense of relief’ after being fired by the Jets. Dianna Russini, The AthleticWe spoke with an NFL executive close to Douglas.
Douglas, who spent more than five seasons as Jets GM, was reportedly fishing at the Jersey Shore just hours after losing his job.
“I’ve heard the happiest thing I’ve heard him say in a long time,” the executive told Russini.
Robert Saleh, on the other hand, was reportedly a little more cut out over Douglas’ firing.
The former Jets coach, who was fired in early October, was “very upset and emotional” when he heard the news about Douglas, and reports say the franchise thought he would be available to finish the season.
Like Saleh, many around the league were surprised by the timing of the GM change, but sources told Russini that Douglas “knew a change was coming.”
Davante Adams wasn’t particularly shocked either.
“I’m surprised, but I’m not, I just know how this game is played,” Adams, a Jets wide receiver, said on FanDuel TV’s “Up & Adams” this week. “If the game isn’t winning and things aren’t looking the way you intended, something has to change.”
Douglas is the latest victim of a disastrous 2024 season for the Jets.
Gang Green, who started the year with Super Bowl aspirations, was rested during the bye week and went 3-8, tied with the Patriots for the worst record in the AFC East.
Since Douglas took over in 2019, the Jets are 30-64, tied with the Jaguars for the second-worst record in the NFL over that span.
The Jets are scheduled to play the Seahawks and former Gang Green QB Geno Smith at MetLife Stadium next Sunday.
