Apr 26, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas addresses the media during the introductory press conference for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) (not pictured) at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports
Former New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is returning to the Eagles organization, according to a report from Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
McLane says that Douglas will be in a "senior scouting role."
While Douglas' reputation among NFL fans might not be great after he was unceremoniously fired last November by the Jets, it's worth remembering why he got that job in the first place.
Douglas was the vice president of player personnel for the Eagles from 2016-2019, a period that produced the franchise's first Super Bowl title. He had been a scout for the Baltimore Ravens from 2000-2014, helping that organization to twice win the Super Bowl. And then he also was the director of college scouting for the Chicago Bears in 2015. As far as resumes go, he was as prepared as anyone to get a shot as general manager.
Unfortunately for him, that shot came with the Jets, one of the most inept organizations in professional sports.
Under Douglas, the Jets never got the quarterback position right. Zach Wilson — the consensus choice for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — flopped. Aaron Rodgers missed basically all of the 2023 season, and added to the dysfunction in 2024. Ultimately, general managers are judged first and foremost by whether they can get the quarterback position right.
With that said, Douglas also drafted some really quality players. The Jets had four picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, and they seem to have batted .1000 with Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson II and Breece Hall. It was too late to save Douglas, but the Jets are hopeful last year's first-round pick, Olu Fashanu, is their long-term left tackle. And while using the No. 11 pick on Mekhi Becton in the 2020 NFL Draft didn't pan out in New York, he just helped the Eagles to win a Super Bowl, so it's pretty clear what Douglas saw in him.
Whether Douglas will ever get a second shot at being a general manager is unclear. What's very clear, though, is that the Eagles are lucky to have him back in their organization assisting Howie Roseman, because he's already proven how effective he can be in that type of role.
