Joe Douglas Meets With Media, Gives Updates on Zach and Saleh

Jets GM Joe Douglas met with the media in Indianapolis this afternoon and shared a few tidbits of information that weren’t exactly earth-shattering but did offer some updates on a few areas of the team with free agency and the draft approaching.

• Perhaps the biggest “news” was that the team has granted quarterback Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade.  This should come as no surprise as it was reported several weeks ago that head coach Robert Saleh had promised Wilson he would be traded.
• The team has held recent talks with the reps for edge rusher Bryce Huff but there will be no franchise tag put in place.
• Speaking of Saleh, it seems his original plan to skip out  on the combine got nixed by somebody in the organization and he’ll now be making the trip out to Indy for a couple of days.  How immersed he’ll be in the process?  Only those in the room know.
• Douglas didn’t seem thrilled to learn of former Jet Mecole Hardman admitting to some tampering before his departure back to Kansas City.  Hardman confessed to speaking with Chiefs personnel and Patrick Mahomes and asked them to bring him back to Kansas City.  It sounds as if some tampering charges could be on the way.
• The team did say earlier this offseason that Alijah Vera-Tucker’s position in 2024 wasn’t set in stone and that appears to still be the case.  Douglas praised Vera-Tucker’s versatility before saying he would not be playing multiple positions this season.
• Asked about years of losing, Joe Douglas said he shared Jets owner Woody Johnson’s frustration in the team’s inability to put it all together but says he doesn’t feel pressure and believes the team is ready to “answer the bell”.