Jets GM Joe Douglas: We're hungry to prove doubters wrong

General manager Joe Douglas knows that few if anyone outside of the Jets offices believe his team has a chance to make the playoffs this year. He’s not looking to convince anyone otherwise.

But Douglas said outside expectations irk the Jets and could fuel them to surprise people.

“Our guys don’t live in a bubble. We see the things that are said, we see the things that are written,” Douglas said during a Zoom call Monday. “It angers a lot of people.”

The Jets, who went 7-9 last year, traded away disgruntled Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams. They also lost middle linebacker C.J. Mosley when he opted out of 2020 due to concerns over COVID-19. That left the Jets with essentially a no-name defense to go with an offense that ranked at or near the bottom of most categories last year.

The resounding opinion, heading into Sunday's season opener at Buffalo, is the Jets will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight year.

“I know that there’s a lot of hungry guys that want to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong, frankly," Douglas said.

Douglas addressed one major area of need in the offseason. He rebuilt the offensive line, and he’s most pleased about the improvements that he’s made there. But Douglas knows he’s far from done.

“I’m not going to be happy until I win a Super Bowl,” he said.

Douglas contributed to Super Bowl victories working as a scout with the Ravens and as a front-office executive with the Eagles. He is the lead decision maker now, and has plenty of areas to address before the Jets can become a consistent playoff contender, never mind play in the big game.

Douglas left holes at receiver, edge rusher and the secondary.  

“I’m not ready to say we’ve checked any boxes,” Douglas added. “We’re always going to try to upgrade this team and make this team better when the opportunity presents itself. I know this group is excited to get on the field and show what they got.”

To that end, Douglas said he’s always looking for upgrades, and he has the freedom to spend on players.

Douglas disputed a report that ownership tightened the purse strings in free agency, and that was why the Jets made no big-splash signings. Few expected Douglas to do that anyway. He isn’t looking for the home run that won the day in the spring. Douglas wants to build something that wins it all in the winter.

The Jets were never really in play for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and never got any traction on a deal for cornerback Logan Ryan.

They have the third-most money available under the cap: $31.3 million. Douglas said he wants to make sure he’s smart now and still has money left over for next year’s free-agent market.

“I’m not bound to any restrictions when it comes to ownership,” Douglas said. “I have full autonomy when it comes to roster decisions. We have a vision. We have a game plan of what we’re trying to accomplish. We want to have the flexibility so when the right player presents itself, the right opportunity we are going to be aggressive.

“It may seem like we’re not doing that right now. But we do have a vision.”

Douglas said that he and coach Adam Gase share the same vision of how this team should be built. Gase wasn't popular among fans after last season's 1-7 start, but CEO Christopher Johnson stuck Gase because he believed he was the right leader for the team and for quarterback Sam Darnold.

Douglas has been equally as supportive of Gase for how he led the Jets to a 6-2 finish last year and how he’s handled everything this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic that changed the way football teams practice and prepare.

“The communication has been on point, the communication has been direct, and the leadership has been strong,” Douglas said. “I’ve been really impressed.”

Now it will be up to Gase and his coaching staff to get the most out of this team that has just two former Pro Bowl players - Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore.

“There’s some guys on this team that may not be household names but they’re good football players,” Douglas said. “Their mission is go out and become a household name. They have a lot to prove and they’re excited to do it.”