Being an NFL general manager is one of the best and worst jobs in America.
On one hand, you are one of only 32, which makes you a part of a very elite group and you make an insane amount of money. On the other side of the coin, every move you make will be heavily scrutinized in the local and national media.
That is taken up an extra notch when you hold that position with the New York Jets.
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A Walk Down Memory Lane
General manager Joe Douglas caught a lot of heat for two big decisions over the last few years.
He let wide receiver Robby Anderson walk in free agency, and Anderson got a two-year, $20 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. A lot of fans argued Douglas made the wrong choice and after watching his first year of success, it was hard to disagree: 95 receptions for 1,096 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Then a year later he dealt away Sam Darnold to that same Carolina team for a combination of draft picks that featured a 2021 sixth, and a 2022 second and fourth.
There were a lot of people who thought the Jets should’ve kept Darnold and re-loaded as opposed to trading him away and resetting again with quarterback Zach Wilson.
While the Panthers may have won the battle (Week 1 grudge match versus the Jets: 19-14), they may have lost the war.
A Meltdown of Epic Proportions
In Week 9 the Panthers squared up with the New England Patriots and things didn’t go well as Carolina lost 24-6.
Darnold tossed three interceptions, averaged a woeful 5.2 yards per attempt and finished with a 26.3 quarterback rating.
His teammate and ex-Jets stud Anderson has been a dud so far in 2021. On the year he has 18 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Here is an inside look at his last five games:
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- Versus the Philadelphia Eagles: two catches for 30 yards.
- Versus the Minnesota Vikings: three catches for 11 yards and a touchdown.
- At the New York Giants: three catches for 14 yards.
- At the Atlanta Falcons: zero catches.
- Versus the Pats: one catch for three yards.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Anderson was given a nice fat contract extension right before the start of the season for two years and $29.5 million with $20.5 million of that guaranteed at signing.
After Darnold tossed his third pick of the day, a video circulated on social media that featured Anderson spiking his helmet in frustration and barking over at Darnold.
Robby Anderson was not happy with Sam Darnold 😬
The Panthers with the loss dropped to 4-5 on the season and are in sole possession of last place in the NFC South.
That should be of the utmost importance to Jets fans considering they hold Carolina’s second and fourth-round draft choices in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft.
Here is an updated look at where the Jets stand in the first two rounds of the NFL draft:
With the #Panthers loss on Sunday here is an updated look at the #Jets picks in the 2022 #NFLDraft: No. 4 overall, No. 9 overall (via #Seahawks, first round) + No. 38 overall, No. 46 overall (via #KeepPounding, second round): #TakeFlight #NFL via @tankathon
The Jets are suffering in their own way at 2-6, but there is a comforting feeling knowing misery loves company.
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