It’s been months since the Jets parted ways with former general manager Joe Douglas, and the organization has fully embraced its new direction. With Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey now leading the charge, the team has moved on, leaving Douglas still searching for his next NFL landing spot.
While he hasn’t returned to a front office just yet, Douglas is set to make a rare public appearance during draft week. And in what could be considered his first official job since being fired, the former GM will be stepping into a new role, this time behind a microphone instead of inside a draft war room.
Douglas was announced as one of the scheduled hosts of Fox Sports Radio’s “Draft Night Live” event, which will air before and during the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft next Thursday.
Douglas will be joined by Fox Sports analysts such as Jay Glazer, Jenny Taft, and LaVar Arrington to preview and break down this year’s draft — a far cry from his typical draft-day work in recent years.
The former Jets general manager has yet to land a new job with an NFL team, but it seems he’s now dipping his toes into the media world. It’s a turn not many expected when he was first let go by the Jets.
Former NY Jets GM Joe Douglas is entering the NFL media world
The Jets officially fired Douglas following Week 11 of last year after a 3-8 start to the season. He finished his nearly six-year Jets career with an abysmal 30-64 record, failing to win more than seven games in any season with the organization.
In fact, Douglas is statistically one of the least successful front office executives in NFL history. His win-loss record ranks 105th out of 107 managing football executives since 1977 to spend at least five years with a franchise.
He posted a worse record than both of his heavily criticized predecessors, Mike Maccagnan and John Idzik, yet somehow lasted more games than the two of them combined. With that in mind, it probably isn’t a surprise that he hasn’t been able to land a job immediately.
It seems unlikely that NFL teams will be lining up to offer Douglas another chance as a general manager after his stint with the Jets failed in spectacular fashion. However, he should be able to find a home as a member of some team’s front office.
Douglas still has deep ties to both the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens organizations, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him land with one of those teams in the near future. It’s possible he’s opting to take some time off after his difficult — and likely highly stressful — Jets tenure.
Still, if Douglas were the hot commodity many expected him to be after his Jets departure, he likely wouldn’t be exploring a media opportunity during this year’s draft. He’d be in a war room, where he’s spent nearly every draft of his executive career.
Douglas may resurface in an NFL front office eventually, but for now, he’s watching from the sidelines. It’s a far cry from the role he once held, and a clear sign of how far his stock has fallen.