Chargers, incredibly, played a role in the messy downfall of the Jets

Chris Roling | Nov 20, 2024

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers haven’t played the disastrous New York Jets this year, so the only link between the teams had been Aaron Rodgers’ public treatment of former Chargers wideout Mike Williams, who got traded at the deadline.

But a new report says the Chargers played a big role in the current Jets blowup.

As it turns out, when the Chargers and new general manager Joe Hortiz hired Chad Alexander away from the Jets to be the assistant general manager in Los Angeles, Jets owner Woody Johnson didn’t let Joe Douglas replace him.

The report comes from Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini of The Athletic, with this as the capper to the Alexander situation: “From then on, many in the Jets organization described Douglas as a shell of himself.”

Right after that in the writeup, one source said this about Douglas: “They’re holding him hostage.”

Yikes.

Of course, much went into the disaster that is the Jets. Douglas just got fired as the 3-8 team starts to think about the future. Previously firing head coach Robert Saleh didn’t work. Nor did trading for Davante Adams to appease Aaron Rodgers. Etc, etc.

Even so, it’s a good example of the gulf that exists between poorly run teams and those who just do it better. The Chargers hired Hortiz to pair with Jim Harbaugh and the result is that, in a rebuilding year, the team looks like a serious threat in the AFC.

And unlike the Jets, when other teams inevitably come to poach personnel who played a role in the turnaround, odds are the Chargers will be able to endure it and not self-destruct.

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