Joe Douglas just passed his four-year anniversary as general manager of the New York Jets. And as the Jets get set to embark on the most important season of his tenure, it’s a good time to see where New York stands four years after Douglas was hired.

Douglas cleaned house after he replaced Mike Maccagnan in June of 2019. The 2023 Jets were built by Douglas and the pressure is on to end the team's 12-year playoff drought. If they fail to reach the postseason, especially after acquiring Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback, there’s a good chance Douglas does not see a fifth anniversary as the Jets general manager.

The Jets are 20-45 since Douglas was hired, including a 7-9 2019 campaign with a team Maccagnan built before being fired two months ahead of training camp.

Four players remain from 2019: defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Myers, linebacker C.J. Mosley, and long snapper Thomas Hennessy. Douglas inherited all but Franklin-Myers, whom he picked up off the waiver wire in one of his best moves as GM.

Everyone else from that team is gone, including Adam Gase. The unpopular coach was fired after a 2-14 season in 2020. Robert Saleh was hired as a first-time head coach in the NFL by Douglas and has an 11-22 record through the ensuing two seasons. Saleh is personable, prepared, and popular with the players. But he oversaw an epic collapse last season, when the Jets lost their final six games to finish 7-10. Saleh could be out along with Douglas should New York endure another losing season in 2023.

That said, the Jets are a much better team now than the one Douglas inherited four years ago. In fact, many experts have them pegged as a Super Bowl contender in 2023 and HBO wants to feature the Jets in Hard Knocks, so that's quite the change in perception from previous seasons. So, Douglas deserves much credit for that, especially building a top-5 defense and now adding Rodgers to lead a revamped offense.

With four years in the books now, let’s examine the several ways Joe Douglas has impacted the Jets since being named general manager in 2019.

Jets have amazing highs, brutal lows with Joe Douglas’ draft picks

Douglas' draft history with the Jets has some incredible highs and lows. But there’s no disputing that New York’s 2022 draft class is an all-timer.

The Jets snagged the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, cornerback Sauce Gardner, with the No. 4 overall pick, and Offensive Rookie of the Year, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, at No. 10. Douglas also traded back into the first round to select defensive end Jermaine Johnson and moved up to draft running back Breece Hall in the second round. Johnson is still a work in progress, but Hall is a stud, albeit one coming off a torn ACL.

The bottom half of this draft class has plenty of potential with tight end Jeremy Ruckert (3rd round), offensive tackle Max Mitchell (4th round) and defensive lineman Micheal Clemons (also 4th round).

Simply put, Douglas and Co. killed it in the 2022 NFL Draft.

But does that completely make up for the many misses from the 2020 and ’21 drafts? Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, has been a complete disaster and certainly not the franchise quarterback the Jets expected him to be. Maybe Rodgers can mentor Wilson to salvage his career. If not, this was as big a swing and a miss as any GM could make.

2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton hasn’t exactly panned out either. The massive tackle has played in just one game over the past two seasons because of knee issues, and has had weight problems throughout his career. He appears to be in excellent shape heading into camp, so Becton could re-emerge as a key player and salvage this selection by Douglas.

The Jets had nine picks in 2020 and that draft is looking like a washout if Becton doesn’t regain form. Wide receiver Denzel Mims (2nd round) has contributed next to nothing in three seasons, and five players are no longer with the team, with the chance Mims, safety Ashtyn Davis (3rd round) and/or corner Bryce Hall (5th round) fail to stick on the 2023 roster. Yikes!

The 2021 draft class is better, though likely forever scarred by the Wilson pick. Douglas did move up to select guard Alijah Vera-Tucker with the No. 14 overall selection, a shrewd move to acquire a top offensive lineman. Wide receiver Elijah Moore (2nd round) caught 80 passes in two seasons but was disgruntled and traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Nickel corner Michael Carter II was a nice get in the fifth round and linebacker Jamien Sherwood, selected eight picks ahead of Carter, could be a starter this season. The other Michael Carter, a running back picked in the fourth round, had a solid rookie season but subpar 2022 campaign. Let’s see what he does this season.

Of course, it’s too early to evaluate this year’s draft class. But there’s a good chance center Joe Tippmann (2nd round) will be a starter as a rookie. However, many believe the Jets reached for edge rusher Will McDonald IV in the first round at No. 15.

Aaron Rodgers trade latest massive deal made by Joe Douglas, Jets

Douglas’ legacy will forever be tied to acquiring Rodgers from the Packers. It’s a trade he had to make. And if that conditional draft pick in 2024 ends up being a first-round selection, so be it. Douglas had to get this trade done to make up for drafting Wilson two years earlier. Now, it's time to see how far Rodgers can take them.

The Jets GM has a solid track record with big trades. He crushed it by dealing disgruntled safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks on July 25th, 2020. New York received two first-round picks as part of that trade, including the No. 10 pick in 2022 that ended up being Garrett Wilson. The Jets also used the 2021 first-round pick from this trade (No. 23) to move up and select Vera-Tucker.

Less than a year later, Douglas swung another big deal, trading quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for three draft picks. Douglas used one of those to trade up to select Hall in 2022 and used another to draft Mitchell.

Jets have had some success in free-agent market under Joe Douglas

Free agency is a crapshoot for all involved. Douglas and the Jets are no exception.

During the Douglas regime, the Jets nailed it by signing free agent corner D.J. Reed, special teams ace Justin Hardee, tackle Morgan Moses, defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins, tight end Tyler Conklin, center Connor McGovern, and kicker Greg Zuerlein.

They missed with wide receivers Breshad Perriman and Keelan Cole, safety Lamarcus Joyner, and the re-signing of Braxton Berrios. The jury is still out on 2022 signees Jordan Whitehead, Laken Tomlinson, and C.J. Uzomah, each of whom underperformed last season. Edge rusher Carl Lawson and wide receiver Corey Davis, each signed in 2021 and hampered by injuries since, need to have big seasons in 2023 too.

Wide receivers Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman, defensive lineman Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson, and safety Adrian Amos are among the free agents signed by the Jets this offseason.

Douglas has excelled finding several hidden gems, picking up Franklin-Myers, Berrios, starting linebacker Quincy Williams and former quarterback Mike White on waivers. He also signed quality undrafted free agent edge rusher Bryce Huff, safety Tony Adams, and running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight.