Why did Woody Johnson fire Joe Douglas now?

Six weeks to the day after the Jets fired coach Robert Saleh, owner Woody Johnson fired G.M. Joe Douglas.

Why now?

It seems to be, on the surface, a do-something/do-anything move by Johnson. A wild swing at a piñata that might or might not even be hanging nearby. A pound of flesh for a frustrated fanbase. A gesture from a frustrated billionaire who has become one of the worst owners in professional sports.

Really, what will an interim G.M. do at this point? What can an interim G.M. do?

Whatever Phil Savage does, the guy who was just fired set a high bar. As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com noted today, Johnson said upon firing Saleh that the 2024 Jets have probably the best roster in his 25 years as owner.

The only benefit comes from having no pretenses or pretexts when scoping out potential replacements. Instead of sneaking around behind Douglas’s back while he still has the job, the fact that the Jets are looking for a new G.M. will be out in the open. The search can begin in earnest, now.

And so it is. The Jets are looking for a new G.M.

Who will they want? The better question might be who will want them?

Sure, there are only 32 of those jobs. But anyone with options will opt for another team. A better team. A less dysfunctional mess.

And that’s the way it will be until the one person in the organization who can’t be fired is no longer the person making the big decisions.

Jets fans won’t like to hear that. Oh well. Every fanbase has something that they know in their hearts is a problem, and that they can’t do anything about it.

So they just get mad when someone else says it out loud.