The Jets invited plenty of criticism for firing G.M. Mike Maccagnan after the draft. The Jets deserve praise now for hiring Joe Douglas to become the new General Manager.
While there possibly would be a better candidate out there somewhere (the Jets interviewed only four), Jets CEO Christopher Johnson apparently realized the importance of hiring someone with whom coach Adam Gase will be comfortable.
If Johnson had targeted the “best person for the job” without regard to whether that person would happily work with Gase, Johnson would have been setting the stage for more dysfunction, because the “best person for the job” would have arrived with a short wish list of coaches -- and Gase likely wouldn’t have been on it.
That’s always the problem with firing the G.M. and keeping the coach. The new G.M. will want to hire his own coach, at the first legitimate opportunity. And the G.M. will be inclined to stay close to the owner, especially on game days, pointing out in subtle or not-so-subtle fashion the flaws in the coach’s decision-making and overall job performance.
It’s far better to have everyone on the same page, and Douglas and Gase will be on the same page. They’ll succeed together, or they’ll fail together. And, ideally, when owner Woody Johnson returns from his government job in the UK and takes control of the team again, he’ll be inclined to stay the course because the Jets by then will be winning on a consistent basis.
With a young franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, that’s not so far fetched.