NFL Insider Recounts Comical Final Moments of Joe Douglas’ Jets Tenure

The final moments of the tenure of New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is the stuff of a movie, reports one NFL insider.

Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Everyone knows that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson fired his general manager, Joe Douglas, last week. But the final moments of Douglas's tenure as GM were recounted during Sundays fox pregame show.

Jay Glazer, the show’s insider, reported about the Jets during their bye week. He recounted the final moments of Douglas’ tenure.

It played out like a scene from a Hollywood movie, with the owner of the team swooping in during a practice and Douglas making an off-handed comment to one of his co-workers about how it might be his last day on the job.

“So, Tuesday, they’re in the middle of their last practice before the bye week and their owner, Woody Johnson, flies in on his helicopter,” Glazer said. “Everyone kind of looked around and said, ‘Well this can’t be good.’ Joe Douglas, their general manager, turned to Jeff Ulbrich, the head coach and said, ‘Well, if they pull me off the practice field it’s been an honor serving with you,’ and they kind of laughed about it.

scene via @JayGlazer: Woody Johnson flew into practice on his helicopter this past Tuesday, and Joe Douglas joked to Jeff Ulbrich, “if they pull me off the practice field, it’s been an honor serving with you”

he was then pulled off the field and fired pic.twitter.com/tbwVacDqnf

— Jack (@jackstollow) November 24, 2024

“Well, they pulled him off the practice field and that’s really the last anyone saw Joe Douglas.”

It isn't the first major decision Johnson has made this year. In October, he fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start. Ulbrich, who is the interim coach, has only won one game and is unlikely to be considered a serious candidate for the head-coaching job.

On Monday, The Jets announced that they've partnered with The 33rd Team to help support their search for a new general manager and head coach. The 33rd Team is run, in part, by former jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

That's unlikely to repair the relationship between Johnson and the rest of the organization. As Glazer reported, things are tense in Florham Park.

“It’s just one of the many things that is creating such a big divide there between Woody Johnson and everybody else. From the players on up, it just keeps widening,” Glazer said.

After Douglas’ firing, The Athletic reported that Johnson has been steadily meddling in team affairs for more than a year. It was Johnson who told Douglas he could not get pass rusher Bryce Huff into a new contract and it was also Johnson that nixed a potential trade that would have brought wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to New York.

He also reportedly pushed to have quarterback Aaron Rodgers benched after the team’s Week 4 loss to Denver and have the Jets start Tyrod Taylor. He also, reportedly, pushed to have safety Tony Adams benched in New York’s last game, something Ulbrich would not confirm or deny on Monday.