LISTEN | A Conversation with Jets GM Joe Douglas (4/5)

weather is great. Black was was a bad choice for this siding how hot it is. But uh, I feel totally under addressed as you got to soon out today as uh, you know, clean up once in a while every decade or so. We were saying beforehand we we would both be more comfortable with some tank tops on and some shorts maybe, yeah, absolutely, hanging up pool do this by the ocean breeze coming off the water. But this is good. It's good to be here with you.

All right, Before we get into some that's business, what do you think about the new overtime rule that which just passed? Yeah, so it's exciting We're gonna have new overtime rules this year in the postseason only, and each team is gonna have an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of how long the first drive goes. So, uh,

it's a good thing, I think. Um. Obviously, there was probably a outcry from fans after a great a great postseason general, but specifically that that Kansas City Buffalo game, and you had two great offenses on the field, and it just adds adds more excitement to postseason play when when the stakes are highest. So your fans want to see you in the postseason very soon. You made it clear today when you talk to the reporters that the

plan is to be playing meaningful football in December. Yeah. Absolutely, I mean I think now we're we're in year two with with coach sol and his staff. You know, we uh, we had a lot of young players on the field for us last year and there were some growing pains associated with that. But the you know, with the thinking that that now the payoff comes this year, we're gonna keep adding young young players and young talent, but we're

going to continue to grow together. He said, it's year two with coach Salo, but in many ways to consider this like your first true off season together because he got hired in the middle of January last year. Oh yeah, you know this with everything that's been going on around the world the last couple of years. Like Um, like you mentioned, this is my first time coming down to

the owners meetings as Jets GM. This will be the first draft as Jets GM where we can actually bring players into the building prior to the draft on on on pre draft visits. So um, even though this is technically year three from me, Um, this is year one in in some ways and part of the process and just being able to do things that now that we've gotten back to normal, how advantageous was last year for

you and Sale and your respective staffs. As you go through a season and you learn skip familiarity, no doubt what they're looking for or what you guys are looking for. Well absolutely, I mean I think that was one of the and I've talked about before, like the best meetings we had was when we went over the team and then they presented exactly what they're looking for and the

players and how they fit within the scheme. And we've we've built off that and now, like I said, this group is back together again year two, and I think year two is is always a little bit easier, a little bit better than year one when that when things are being implemented for the first time. So now that there's a there's a comfort with our coaches, they are

coaches are players. There there's an expectation level that everyone's gonna walk in knowing, you know what, what what the players expect from the coaches with the coaches expecting the players, and we just we just build off that through O, T A s and drinking camp following free agency meetings. What did you come away with saying that, hey, this

is what we have to get done. Yeah, the the thing, the thing that we really wanted to get done, you know it was we know, like I said before, we knew we had a young team UM on the field, and we know we're going to continue get young with all these draft picks UM. So the free agent plan and it was great getting in the trenches with with Christopher, with Woody himI, Um, Robert his staff are personnel staff, really putting a plan in place to to go in and get our types of guys in free agency, and

like what does that mean? You know? So we we went out and got guys like c J. Zone Lake and Tomlinson, d J Reid. UM, guys that have plea played in meaningful games. Tyler Conklin, He's top top ten and tight end explosives last year. Guys, guys that are in there, still in their prime. There's a youth, there's a veteran. Uh, they're like youthful veterans in a way. And they played in meaningful games. They played on the biggest stage, UM one, on the highest stage. And so

they're bringing that experience. UM that that that culture, the bringing into the culture of our locker room and and uh, just adding to the youth that we already have. And so excited to get those guys in here. Um let them be themselves and uh and really and really assimilate

with the team in the locker room. Win bet is now live in New Jersey and then bringing the excitement of win Las Vegas to online sports betting, getting on all your favorite teams, players and sports from boost at barlays to live in game odds on every major sport. They have what you need to win. Sign up today to receive a special offer, risk free five hundred dollar sports Beat. Download the wind Beat app now or visit w y n and bet dot com to start winning.

Winn Bett an official sports book and gave me partner up the New York Jets office upthing to change in terms of condition that wind bet dot com must be twenty one or older in President of New Jersey if you are someone you know has a gambling problem called one seven zero seven one one seven key talking about the combination of character. That's something that Robert Salad kept on coming back to when he talked about this Freecy class.

Also postseason experience. You mentioned that a little bit. You got Lankin Thomlinson, who was part of that build in San Francisco. He played in a Super Bowl. He was just in the NFC Championship game. USAMA was part of a build in Cincinnati where they go to to four. They're playing in the Super Bowl. I don't think people realize that d J. Reid is a guy who has four postseason games on his resume. You mentioned white Head, He's got a Super Bowl ring and he was part

of the playoffs last season in Tampa. He's only twenty five years old. Absolutely, so the like I said, these guys are good players that have played in a lot of big games and where the stakes are highest, and you know that on top of that, these guys are what we're what we're looking for in terms of guys

that love football. Um, they're they're all in about uh, coming in and competing love of the game, and so that that's gonna permeate, you know, getting guys like that and been adding them to the group of guys that we have, the young guys that that you can feel that in them too. Um, So it's it's uh, it's exciting. Can you talk about an approach of being aggressive in free agency but not reckless? Yeah. Um, look, I mean

we've we've positioned ourselves. Um, you know, we've had we've had financial we've had financial flexibility, and we've we've been able to acquire assets in the draft. Um, when there's opportunities via trade, via a free agent signing, you know, if it's if it's a player that fits what we're looking to add to the team and the culture, and

we're we're gonna go out and be aggressive. Um. At the same time, Um, you know, so at certain points and certain players, it becomes a frenzied atmosphere and so it's it's it's on us to just make sure that we're aggressive. We're gonna go out and like coach said, we're gonna go out and swing a bat. You know, we're just swing the bat when the opportunity presents itself. But also not not lose what we work so hard to gain in terms of the flexible financial flexibility that

that we have. We're down in Florida right now. You just had a recent pursuit of a Chietah and Tyreek Hill. Can you talk about that process a little bit and just the overall philosophy of being ready to strike it. Yeah, you know, Um, he was a guy that obviously one of the of the premier playmakers in this league in a weapon and so um, you know, there there was when the opportunity came up. And you know, again it's what we talked about. We uh, you know, we had it.

We had a good process in place. We had a lot of great conversations, uh, leading up to that pursuit. Um. Ultimately it didn't work out, but um, at the same time, our process, our process was was was pure. You know. We we we can go back and and and go into that and and and talk about things that we could maybe do differently, but UM, just being in position to to be in those talks and to be as

aggressive as we were. UM. And look, we know, we know that there's gonna be other opportunities in the future, but just just having the process that we had in place to to to get in the running. UM, it's something that we'll use moving forward. Can you talk about the receiver position. I thought you made a couple very

important points today. You guys love Elijah more right, you get Braxton Imperials back in the mix, and I think people overlooked Corey Davis as far as what his stats were going to be on pace if he was healthy. Obviously he's got to stay healthy throughout there. Well, I mean, Eric, you've seen, you've seen recently how how the wide receiver market has really just exploded. And you know, obviously it's an important position because it's these guys are dynamic playmakers.

But you know, we feel great about the receivers we have on the team, you know, And like you mentioned, I mean, Elijah was was just coming on like crazy his rookie year, UM sustaining the injury, so that was tough losing him in the back back the back half of the season, back a few games this season, and then Braxton just stepped right up, you know, and he

became a playmaker for us. And you know, having the opportunity to bring him back on the squad Corey Davis, I believe he was on pace for a thousand yards prior to his injury. And then you know, just i'd be or Mr not bringing up a guy. It's just working his tail off right now. You know, his agent senting me videos and I'm seeing I'm seeing all these workouts. Denzel Mims, Like, Denzel Mims is gonna come back. Um, you know, ready to attack. You know this this O

t A and offseason. So you know we we we like the guys, We have a whole lot and so um, you know, if the opportunity comes to add to that group, which is already a good group in our mind, you know, we're we're ready to do that and we'll get to that capital. And second, going back to Tomlinson, I'm not gonna ask you how you rank their free agency board, but I gotta imagine he had to be right up there and he definitely had multiple suitors. How big was

that for you? Guys securing him. Yeah, it was huge because you know, we we always want to be strong up front, you know, Coach and I both say that, and so, um, this was a special situation because of Laken's relationship with coach Solo with coach Leathlora with with Coach Benton, and uh, the familiarity with the scheme and what he brings as a person and the leader, and you know, feel like feel feel you're just talking about wide receiver, but the offensive line um has a chance

to be a special group moving forward. Um, it's because of the acquisitions that we've made in the last couple of years through free h C and draft, and also because of of a guy like Lake and Thomason just uh, you know, I'm thankful for his his uh, him wanting to be a part of this, you know, having having gone through a similar WHI type rebuild in San France. For him to come back and and and hop aboard this train and be a part of what we're doing,

you know, I think that's a special thing. Yeah, you talked about it today about guy Beckton, your hopes for him still and George fans a dynamic attackle you like you're not only those two guys, and you're expecting McKay back here in O t S, But can you talk

about the depted the tackle positions. You know, it's uh, it's gonna be great to have George and McKay both back and you have them, have them competing all three O t as in camp and you know, and then it's uh the rest of the competition at the tackle group, you know. And we've been able to bring Connor McDermott back who started started games for US and played a lot of snaps for US, and Hecke's even started a couple of games and guard for US and back in

two thousand nineteen. And then you know Chumah Adoga um that started and played a lot of games for US. Two. So we feel like we have four we have four offensive tackles and obviously that's a premium position around around this league. So we feel like we have four offensive tackles that have started and played a lot of games, and so having that depth at that position, uh, it's it's a bit of a luxury for US. Win bet is now live in New Jersey and they're bringing the

excitement of win Las Vegas to online sports betting. Get in on all your favorite teams, players and sports from boostap parlays to live in game odds on every major sport. They have what you need to win. Sign up today to receive a special offer risk free one thousand down the sports bet download the wind beat up now or visit w y N and Vett dot com to start winning.

Winnet an official sports book and gaming up in New York Jets Office up to the change in terms of conditions that went dot com twenty one the older President in New Jersey. If you have someone you know has a gambling problem, call one seven or seven one one seven. You made a bit of news here this week. Signing Solomon Thomas, can you talk about adding him to the mix on the defensive interior after resigning Nathan Shepard? Yeah, so, uh, Nate Nate coming back was a great thing also because

because Nate Nate. Just to talk about Nate and no one, no one works harder, practices harder, plays harder than Nate. I mean his strain levels through the chart through the roof. And then to add like I think they're gonna be like brothers and strain and effort and Solomon Thomas and anyone who's ever been around Solomon Thomas and coach Solo and his staff have been around him in San Francisco.

Of course, Uh, people can't say enough good things about him, you know, just you know, receiving a text from someone with the Raiders when we made that move and how much they love Sally and what he what he brings from an effort, toughness culture standpoint. So so adding adding another, this is this is almost like, um, like Lake and

the guy that's been with Robert and his staff. Um, they know what those expectations are from from those coaches and brings the the exact type of temperament, personality, character that we're looking for when we add anyone to this roster. What's the next month is gonna be like for you?

Because everybody, now you're still this offseason is not complete, and I know you're still gonna explore every avenue prior to the draft, but just looking ahead of a sneak preview with four and Taed and in the four in the top thirty eight you talked about how special that could. You're you're right, and you know, obviously you know free agency is not over if there's opportunities there, there's there's gonna be who knows that what other opportunities will presents

itself from trade. But now now like now you can you're you're zoning in on the draft, right and that that huge weekend in April that every that every fan loves. And you know, we're sitting here with picks four, ten, thirty five, thirty eight and then we've got five more after that. So UM, it's a pretty pretty unique, pretty cool situation to have four picks a high and uh, you know there's a lot of there's a lot of meat left on the bone to our for our process,

so to speak. You know, we'll get back with the coaches in uh in April, early April, UM, and then they'll really they'll throw their they'll throw their evils in there. They've spent a lot of time on these with these prospects and zoom calls, workouts, pro days and so um, getting their opinion, getting their insight, their feedback on all

these players in the draft. It's gonna be it's gonna be the biggest meetings that we have UM this offseason, primarily because it will be the next meetings with the coaches, but with with what we have going on this year in the draft, the picks we have. Uh, it's it's a unique opportunity to add a lot of difference makers to this team. Finally, let's clarify something new. And Robert sala are right because he talked yesterday said sometimes we might have to go bare knuckle fighting. Yeah, I might

have to go to defensive side of the ball. Joe likes the offensive line. You're a former tackle from Richmond. We're okay, right, Yeah, I'm a lover, not a fighter. But no, it's funny because the gods are asking me, okay, oh line the line, who's gonna win and who's gonna win this fight? And my my answer is the same, like the Jets are gonna win. You know we you know we we coach and I see the game the same way. We see it through the same wins. And you know, we both we both know how important the

line of scrimmages and how that's never gonna change. So um, whether it's offense defensive line, Um, whoever wins, we all win. Oh well, we appreciate your time. Maybe you can get to change of clothes now and relaxed by the pool for a couple of minutes hang out, a great see anybody all right, Thanks sir,