Spotlight on Douglas in search for coach
It’s first of many tasks Jets’ GM faces in quest to achieve turnaround
Joe Douglas’ to-do list this offseason is massive — and so is the climb the New York Jets need to make to reach respectability.
The general manager’s arduous task begins with finding a head coach. That process has already begun, with the Jets asking permission to speak to multiple candidates.
After a 2-14 season that had some fans rooting for losses to ensure the top pick in the draft, Douglas understands that decision will set the tone for next season — and far beyond.
“I think you feel pressure to succeed every day you walk in the building,” Douglas said Tuesday during a video call. “So, obviously, there’s a lot of big decisions that lay in front of us this offseason — and we have to get them right.”
Adam Gase was fired Sunday night after going 9-23 in two years, marked by the team’s franchise-worst 0-13 start this season.
“Obviously, this was a tough season for all of us, our fans included,” Douglas said. “Speaking for everyone in this building, this record, it belongs to all of us.”
He and Gase are longtime friends, but even Douglas knew the decision by Jets chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson was inevitable — and necessary.
“This is the hard part of the business,” said Douglas, who was hired six months after Gase was hired in 2019. “I wanted nothing more than for us to succeed here together. This was hard for me. I know people outside this building, they may not see it at this time, but he did some really good things here that are going to help us moving forward.”
But with another coach in charge.
Johnson announced Monday that he, team president Hymie Elhai and Douglas will work collaboratively on finding the next coach, but the GM will be leading the search. Douglas’ opinions will be weighed heaviest by the team, so it’s on him to bring in the right person.
Note: Frank Gore is in no rush to decide if he’ll give it another run next season. The running back, who ranks third on the NFL’S career rushing list with 16,000 yards, will be 38 in May and just completed his 16th season. He’s scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. “I still have fun, man, playing the game of football. But I didn’t make a decision yet,” Gore said. Gore became the third player in NFL history to run for 16,000 yards, finishing at exactly that milestone number when he had 48 yards on 16 carries against Cleveland on Dec. 27. He suffered a bruised lung during the game, though, and missed the finale at New England.