Joe Douglas of the NY Jets does not regret the controversial transfer in the offseason, but he should

As the NY Jets continue to await the arrival of star pass rusher Haason Reddick, the team's offseason changes to its defensive line have come into sharper focus. In particular, the team's decision to trade John Franklin-Myers for next to nothing has been questioned – and rightly so.

General Manager Joe Douglas is not the type to look back on past decisions with regret, and he made that clear Thursday when he spoke to reporters for the first time since April.

Douglas was asked about the Franklin Myers trade and whether he had any regrets, especially in light of what happened with Reddick. The Jets GM left no room for doubt.

Douglas told reporters that he has no regrets about trading Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos on draft night in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Unfortunately, that move was not only a mistake at the time, but it is also the cause of some of the team's current problems.

The Jets have tried to spread the story that they had to trade Franklin-Myers for salary reasons, but that's simply not true. Franklin-Myers agreed to a reworked contract with the Broncos that gives him a salary cap hit of just $5 million in 2024.

The veteran defensive player was open to a contract change with the Jets, but the team never offered him that opportunity. Instead, they traded him away for practically nothing – a sixth-round pick in two years.

Furthermore, it was the team's other offseason decisions that led them to trade Franklin-Myers in the first place. It was the decision to replace Quinton Jefferson with the less productive and significantly more expensive Javon Kinlaw. And yes, it was the decision to replace Bryce Huff with the older and more expensive Haason Reddick.

Franklin-Myers and Huff's combined The cap hit in 2024 is $10 million. Jefferson's cap hit is under $2 million. The Jets gave Kinlaw, a player who was never anywhere near as productive as Jefferson in 2023, $7.25 million for just one year.

That's without even mentioning the money they'll ultimately pay Reddick if he shows up. The Jets downgraded their defensive line just to pay more money, and those mistakes came under scrutiny after Reddick's walkout.

It's also worth noting that the Franklin Myers trade may be the cause of the Reddick dilemma. The All-Pro pass rusher reportedly told the Jets he would show up to OTAs and minicamp without a new contract. Apparently, plans have changed.

But what changed between the Reddick trade and the OTAs? The Jets traded Franklin-Myers, giving Reddick more negotiating leverage. He and his agent are still trying to capitalize on that advantage as we move into September.

Franklin-Myers has long been one of the Jets' most underrated players. He was pressured 50 times in 2023 – just six times less than Jermaine Johnson. Michael Clemons, by comparison, was pressured only eight times.

The Jets made a mistake by trading John Franklin-Myers, and although Joe Douglas may not admit it publicly, it's safe to assume that some people in the organization may have changed their minds since then.