Joe Douglas hesitantly weathered the inevitable questioning from Haason Reddick. That's his story and he's sticking to it. No regrets about making the trade, no regrets about not getting the signing.
A new Jets season is about to begin, but it will be without Haason Reddick.
And Douglas sent Redick this message on Thursday:
We need you.
But we don't need you.
For his sake, he'd better do the right thing.
Douglas turns 30 on Sept. 22 and has the advantage right now over elite pass rushers who can’t afford to ruin their careers by desperately chasing contract extensions worth roughly $25 million per season.
But if the team stumbles off the bench without Redick, no one is going to care about his impact.
In that case, Jets fans will suddenly be interested to know that Douglas chose not to communicate with Redick at any waking moment since April 1, despite talking about clear and direct communication with the Redick team before and immediately after the trade with the Eagles.
Jets fans aren't suddenly going to care that Redick broke his verbal agreement and ignored OTAs and training camp.
That's why, while Douglas should of course be mindful of the fact that some of his other employees are waiting for payday, he should also make the call for himself and make every effort to resolve this impasse.
“I think this will all be resolved,” Douglas said.
Douglas threw the Hale Aaron pass last year but it was incomplete, so he will be fortunate to throw it again this year.
Aaron Rodgers, 40, is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer with a 40-year-old right arm that's just rehabbed his Achilles, but the Jets' fate rests on a 40-year-old right arm that looks like a 30-year-old in head coach Robert Saleh's eyes.
Douglas is on the brink of winning or losing after failing to draft Zach Wilson twice, selecting Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and then drafting Wilson as a backup to the 39-year-old future Hall of Fame candidate.
If you strike out, you're out!
What we require from you is:
“I believe he can help us win games.”
“We look forward to having him if he decides to come.”
“Everyone here would welcome him with open arms.”
You don't need:
“We have a really deep team with a lot of good players. … We still feel good overall about the depth on our defensive line.”
“The locker room is in a great place. Training camp has been incredible. The energy, passion and unity the team shows is really great.”
“I thought this training camp was fantastic. It's a great collection of talent and personalities, I think it's the best group of guys I've been around in my 24 years. I think it's a great group to lock arms with and go on the journey.”
Long live Aaron.
“Some days he just goes out there and doesn't make any mistakes,” Douglas said.
Douglas built an experienced, veteran offensive line in front of Rodgers to better protect him and prevent him from making mistakes.
“I'm excited to see our offensive linemen out there,” Douglas said.
Without Redick, Douglas will need Will McDonald to make the kind of leap in Year 2 that Jermaine Johnson made a year ago.
“I thought Will had a great camp,” Douglas said. “Will comes in with a sense of purpose. His skill is unquestionable. I feel he can provide elite athleticism off the edge.”
Douglas and Saleh have teamed up for four seasons.
“He's really developed into a great leader. He's been a great leader ever since he got here,” Douglas said. “The way he communicates with people, the energy he brings every day. He's a great person and a great coach.”
The great guy is the 18-33 coach.
Douglas has a record of 27 wins and 56 losses as a GM.
Does Douglas want Redick on the field? Of course he does, without Bryce Huff and John Franklin Myers.
Redick may not be the only one playing with fire.
