Woody Johnson

NFL Staff Rumors: Raiders, Jets, 49ers

January 12th, 2025 at 9:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Based on several reports in recent days, we’ve been pushing the assumption that part-owner Tom Brady has immense influence in the Raiders‘ operations, namely the ongoing searches for a new head coach and general manager. This sentiment was all but confirmed in an article today by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. One of Bonsignore’s sources with knowledge of the situation told him that “this is Tom’s show now” and that majority owner Mark Davis wants Brady to have a “huge” voice in the team’s operations.

Brady’s influence does appear to have its limits, though. According to Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic, many in the NFL pinned new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as Brady’s top option to coach in Las Vegas. Vrabel wasn’t one of the team’s scheduled interviews, though, as those became known to the media. Apparently, Davis was “not interested in another go-round with ‘Patriots Way’ after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago.”

Brady’s voice will otherwise still be heavily considered in the search for a new head coach and general manager. Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek has already been identified as a potential candidate, aided by Brady’s connection to his former team. While Tafur and Reed don’t mention any actual rumored interest, they list Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Lions director of scouting Dwayne Joseph, Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi, and Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley as names to watch for based on their potential compatibility with different head coaching candidates.

Here are a few other staff rumors from around the NFL:

The Jets were another contender for Vrabel’s services, and they reportedly were extremely interested in bringing him in. In a Q&A with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Breer stated his belief that New York would’ve allowed Vrabel to choose his own general manager had he signed with them, especially considering their main plan is to find the best guy (head coach or general manager) and build around them to achieve alignment throughout the coaching and front office staffs. Ultimately, Breer believes the reputation of team owner Woody Johnson likely dissuaded Vrabel away from the Jets.
Staying in New York and with Breer’s peer at Sports Illustrated, Patrick McAvoy, we got a report that SportsNet New York insider Connor Hughes is under the opinion that Rex Ryan “is completely out” of the head coaching race for the Jets. Hughes was quoted on WFAN telling Rami Lavi that “that is not gonna happen with the Jets.”
Following the departure of special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, the 49ers have begun the process of replacing him. To wit, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team has completed an interview with Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins. Modkins has spent the last four seasons in Detroit under coordinator Dave Fipp, who is widely considered one of the best in the game.

Front Office Notes: Jets, Colts, Grier, Bears

January 3rd, 2025 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given a mulligan for the Jets‘ Aaron Rodgers-less 2023 season, Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas did not make it too far into the 2024 campaign. The latter did not have a good working relationship during his final year in charge, seeing Woody Johnson (and, apparently, his sons) influence Jets personnel moves. Johnson had largely stripped power from Douglas during the GM’s final months in New York. As it turns out, Douglas’ frustration with Johnson predates 2024. The five-plus-year Jets GM had expressed dismay at one of Woody Johnson’s sons, Brick, scouring the internet and seeing those opinions (through Woody Johnson) make it back to Douglas, Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline notes.

This situation may or may not have influenced Douglas to decline a Jets extension proposed more than a year ago. While Pauline stops short of confirming that, the veteran draft-based reporter indicates many informed him that was the case. Douglas “did not like or respect” Woody Johnson for years during his Jets run, Pauline adds. As the Jets have begun their GM and HC searches, they may have considerable explaining to do about the owner and his family’s influence on the team.

Entering Week 18, here is the latest from around the NFL’s front offices:

The Dolphins gave Mike McDaniel an extension this past summer, and no rumors have pointed to the young HC needing to be too concerned about his job security. Rumblings are emerging, however, pertaining to the status of GM Chris Grier. In his sixth season with full autonomy in Miami, Grier is in his ninth season as GM. Miami is a place to monitor regarding a potential GM change, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Grier essentially won a power struggle with Brian Flores three years ago and has overseen back-to-back playoff appearances since, which would make it rather surprising if ownership made a change this coming offseason.
Chris Ballard was believed to be on solid ground going into Week 17, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. That aligns with a Thursday report that pointed to Ballard being more likely than not to be retained. Though, the Colts losing to a two-win Giants team — in a game that reminded of the 2021 team’s undoing in a win-and-in opportunity in Jacksonville as two-touchdown favorites — did not exactly provide assurance the team is headed in a good direction. With Ballard set to be just 2-for-8 in playoff berths as Indianapolis honcho, this situation will also be one to monitor over the next few days.
Tennessee’s post-Mike Vrabel season has gone quite poorly, with Ran Carthon‘s Titans operation sitting 3-13. But no major changes are expected this year. Brian Callahan is on track to stay for a second season as HC, and Fowler indicates a good energy — the 13 losses notwithstanding — is present around an organization run by Carthon, Callahan and VP of football operations Chad Brinker. Next season, then, figures to be Carthon’s regime can be truly evaluated. A clash with ownership drove Vrabel out of Nashville, and an improvement will almost definitely be required for Callahan in 2025. What remains to be seen is how much improvement will be necessary for Carthon.
The Bears have used search firms in the past to help determine their coaching hires, but it appears the team will leave this year’s search to its front office. No consultant is on track to come in and shepherd Chicago’s HC search, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. The team did take that route in 2015 and 2022, respectively bringing in John Fox and Matt Eberflus. GM Ryan Poles was not in place when the Eberflus search started, signing on late in that process. With considerable input from president Kevin Warren on tap, Poles will lead this year’s Bears search.

Jets Looking To Build Structure Around New HC Or GM

December 30th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets are entering an important offseason after firing both their head coach, Robert Saleh, and their general manager, Joe Douglas, midseason. The team will open up their search to fill both positions in the offseason, and according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, owner Woody Johnson is open to building around either position in their move forward.

In 2019, the Jets hired Douglas as their new general manager. Douglas inherited new head coach Adam Gase, who had been hired a few months prior. That marriage was a short-lived one, and Douglas replaced Gase with Saleh. Before them, the Jets hired former general manager Mike Maccagnan and former head coach Todd Bowles in back-to-back days, not allowing Maccagnan to take part in the coaching search. In the years before that, the Jets went back and forth, sticking with former general manager Mike Tannenbaum before firing him while retaining head coach Rex Ryan.

The point here is that there has not been a ton of synchronicity between the front office and coaching staff in New York in a very long time. The Jets seems to hire one without much consultation of the other and expect the two sides to work together in bringing the team back to relevance. The report from Breer seems to indicate a change in such thinking.

Johnson, along with consultants Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, have communicated that they’re open to hiring a general manager and building around him or hiring a coach and building around them. Their ultimate goal is “harmony.” Instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole, New York is making a point of finding the perfect peg for the perfectly corresponding hole.

This seems to indicate that the team will need to prioritize one candidate search over the other. Unless they happen into a perfect situation wherein two matching candidates line themselves into interviews around the same time, the Jets will need to hire either a head coach or a general manager first then find the harmonizing candidate for the other position. If they rush into these decisions, they could fall into the similar incongruous mistakes they’ve made in the past.

Additionally, they would like their candidates to have some understanding of the New York/northeast market and the challenges that come along with it. This could make Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn a perfect candidate. Glenn has been a popular name for the upcoming head coaching market, and New York would likely have competition for his services. Glenn, though, spent two years as a personnel scout for the Jets, so he would have that New York knowledge and the ability to discern what makes a good general manager.

Regardless, there’s plenty of work to be done in the searches to fill both positions for the Jets. It’s good to hear that they have intentions of finding a complimentary pair, but based on a difficult past, we may have to see it in order to believe it.

Latest On Garrett Wilson’s Jets Future

December 29th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Sam Robinson

During the 2022 offseason, the Jets explored several avenues to upgrade at wide receiver. This included making trade offers for Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel and also pursuing the likes of A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and Amari Cooper. The route the team ended up taking provided early promise, but it has suddenly brought hiccups.

After two seasons with a bottom-tier quarterback targeting him, Garrett Wilson has seen Aaron Rodgers stay healthy and deliver a competent season — albeit one far off his MVP-level work from earlier this decade. Rodgers has peppered Wilson with targets, throwing him 141 passes — fourth-most in the NFL after Week 16 — and has the former Offensive Rookie of the Year on pace for his third 1,000-yard season. But Wilson’s happiness in New York has been in question for a bit.

Wilson joined Breece Hall in expressing disappointment in then-OC Nathaniel Hackett during the 2023 season, and Davante Adams has since usurped Wilson — as could be expected given the trade pickup’s history with Rodgers — as the Jets’ top receiving option. Wilson drew three targets before the Jets’ final drive in their loss to the Rams on Sunday and displayed frustration after the game. This came after Wilson and wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson argued during the team’s Week 15 win over the Jaguars.

Wilson added that a new Jets regime would have “no impact” on his desire to stay or go; that response mirrored what the third-year wideout said about the team keeping or jettisoning Rodgers in 2025. A recent report, however, indicated it would not surprise if Wilson requested a trade soon, and the New York Post’s Brian Costello notes speculation from informed parties points to a trade request coming. With Costello adding this situation appears “headed toward a divorce.”

“I’m gonna worry about these last two games and see what happens, man. I’m not gonna speak on that,” Wilson said (via the New York Post’s Steve Serby) when asked about a potential trade request. “All that’s out of my control. I just gotta play my part, and try to win games for this organization.”

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears that the Wilson-Rodgers relationship is not in a good place, and even when Wilson was receiving the lion’s share of Rodgers’ targets prior to the arrival of Adams, there were questions about whether the QB and his third-year receiver could fully reconcile after their training camp “blowup.” According to Rapoport, if the Jets choose to retain Rodgers — which is more of a possibility in light of his improved play down the stretch — they would likely retain Adams as well, and a Wilson trade request would certainly be on the table at that point.

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says that, while the Jets have grown tired of Wilson’s frustration, it should be noted that Wilson is not necessarily frustrated by the number of targets he has received, but the quality of them. Since Adams joined the club, Wilson has received only eight red-zone looks, compared to 17 for Adams. Wilson’s overall target total is also skewed a bit by the 23-target game he enjoyed in a Week 5 (pre-Adams) loss to the Vikings.

If the Jets do part ways with Wilson, it would still represent a strange unraveling, as Wilson is about to go three-for-three in 1,000-yard seasons. The Jets have, however, been quick to move on from young starters via trade in the not-so-distant past. The team dealt Sam Darnold in 2021, Jamal Adams in 2020, Leonard Williams in 2019 and Sheldon Richardson in 2017. Joe Douglas was involved in three of those swaps, but the Jets have since canned their GM and are early in the interview process to replace him. That said, the perception of how this franchise is run has taken substantial hits this year. And it is not slowing down.

Following an explosive report from The Athletic regarding Woody Johnson‘s outsized role in personnel, Cimini confirms the owner’s teenage sons, Jack and Brick Johnson, are “very much involved” in football matters. Woody Johnson has already been accused of listening to his sons’ Madden-based assessments on players — Jerry Jeudy among them — and the two are believed to have made their voices known in the locker room after games as well. The Jets have denied the Johnson sons play any such roles, but these reports will not do well to attract GM and HC candidates.

These reports also could alienate players, though the Jets still have plenty of control with Wilson, who can be kept on his rookie deal through 2026 via the fifth-year option. The team also has option decisions on Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson coming in May. No trade noise has circled the defenders, but this has become attached to Wilson. With Adams’ Big Apple future uncertain, the next Jets football-ops bosses appear to have major issues to navigate at receiver.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Woody Johnson Vetoed Jets’ Trade For Jerry Jeudy Due To Madden Rating

December 22nd, 2024 at 1:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

DECEMBER 22: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports negotiations between the Jets and Broncos on a Jeudy trade never actually reached the point where a deal was imminent. Talks stopped once the previously-known offer including Lazard and a draft pick was made (one which, Florio adds, Denver was not interested in), with Jeudy ultimately being dealt to the Browns. Johnson’s involvement in trade talks ending is unclear based on this update, but an increased offer from Douglas would have been required for Jeudy to have wound up in New York.

DECEMBER 19: Most leaders use information and data from a wide variety of sources to drive their decision-making process. For Jets owner Woody Johnson, that apparently includes his video games and his teenage sons.

It came out after the firing of general manager Joe Douglas that Johnson vetoed the Jets’ acquisition of Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in exchange for Allen Lazard and a Day 2 pick. A month later, the reason for Johnson’s resistance was revealed (via The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver): Jeudy’s rating in EA Sports’ popular Madden video game series.

Jeudy started the 2023 season with an 83 rating in Madden 24 and dropped to an 81 by the offseason, when the trade was being negotiated. (Lazard, meanwhile, began the season at 78 and finished at 76.) This being a method of Jets operation this season would not exactly make working for Johnson especially appealing for HC and GM candidates moving forward, but the owner has made his voice known on several occasions this year. And he is not expected to leave for a role in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration in 2025.

In terms of real-life football, Jeudy was clearly the more productive receiver last year with 54 receptions on 87 targets for 758 yards (3.4 receptions and 47.4 yards per game). Lazard reeled in just 23 of his 49 targets for 311 yards (1.6 receptions and 22.2 yards per game). Lazard has been more effective this year, catching 31 of his 49 targets for 430 yards and five touchdowns, but Jeudy has been even better after being traded to the Browns with career-highs of 70 receptions and 1,052 yards.

The Broncos were believed to have been stunned why the trade talks broke down, as the teams were believed to have been deep in negotiations. Douglas is believed to have told Broncos brass of Johnson’s Madden-based reason for bailing on the trade, per Russini, Rosenblatt and Silver. Denver ended up flipping Jeudy for a lesser return — fifth- and sixth-round picks. The Jets ended up signing Mike Williams to a one-year, $10MM deal — months before unloading him at the deadline.

This is not the only time that a video game has influenced Johnson’s personnel desires. He also “pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster ‘awareness’ rating in Madden,” per The Athletic. Douglas signed Simpson to a two-year, $18MM deal anyway, and the veteran lineman has quietly earned the eighth-highest grade among NFL guards from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with a $12MM valuation from OverTheCap for his play this year.

Jets executives have pointed to Johnson’s Madden obsession as evidence of disproportionate influence from his sons, Brick and Jack. They began sitting in on team meetings last year and frequently share posts and articles from social media with their father that are weighed against the advice of the Jets’ decision-makers. “I answer to teenagers,” said Douglas before the season, according to The Athletic.

Johnson’s sons have even violated the traditional sanctity of the Jets’ locker room, bringing friends and openly airing their criticism of the team. Brick Johnson even pre-empted Aaron Rodgers after the Jets’ Halloween win, their first after firing Robert Saleh four weeks prior. Rodgers intended to give a customary game ball to Jeff Ulbrich for his first victory as a head coach. Instead, Brick Johnson jumped into give a game ball to Garrett Wilson – complete with a profanity-laden exclamation for social media – and Woody Johnson took Rodgers’ ball to give to Ulbrich himself. One player called it “the most awkward, cringe-worthy, brutal experience.”

Even for a Jets team that has received a torrent of criticism, this would be new territory. Woody Johnson fired Saleh without going to Douglas and effectively stripped power from his GM this year, predictably preceding Douglas’ ouster weeks later. The owner has entrusted ex-GMs Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to run the team’s HC search, though the owner obviously has the final call. Today’s revelations add a bizarre chapter to what has been one of the more eventful Jets years; this report coming as the team is conducting searches only adds to the strangeness surrounding this organization.

Jets Notes: Johnson, Rodgers, Hackett

December 20th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thursday brought a strange revelation from Jets headquarters, bringing Madden into the strange role of roster determinations. Beyond the Jerry Jeudy near-trade quickly becoming one of the odder what-ifs in recent NFL history, the Jets may need to run through some other matters as they attempt to make quality GM and HC hires.

Some of the dysfunction reported does stem from Aaron Rodgers, who effectively kept Nathaniel Hackett employed as the team’s play-caller coming into the season. Before the Jets launched a stealth search for a coach who would cut into Hackett’s duties, The Athletic’s well-detailed Dianna Russini, Zack Rosenblatt and Michael Silver report indicates Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall expressed were not happy with the embattled OC throughout last season (subscription required). This may well have led to a meeting that helped the Rodgers-Woody Johnson relationship reach its present point.

Rumblings circulated that Johnson wanted to fire Hackett after the 2023 season, but Rodgers is believed to have stepped in to prevent that from happening. Rodgers has been close with Hackett since their Green Bay days, long stumping for the veteran OC. This included an offseason meeting with Johnson that “didn’t go over well” with the owner, per The Athletic. Rodgers had brought up this matter with Johnson. Months later, the owner attempted to have the QB benched.

Shortly after that benching effort, Johnson went around GM Joe Douglas and fired Robert Saleh. While Rodgers was accused of being complicit in that ouster, The Athletic notes the quarterback’s conversation with Johnson included a request the owner remain patient with the head coach. This also runs counter to Johnson’s claim the two did not discuss Saleh in that meeting. As could be expected, Rodgers had also told Saleh he disagreed with the then-HC’s decision to demote Hackett — a move interim HC Jeff Ulbrich ended up carrying out anyway.

Going back to Rodgers’ lost 2023 season, the Jets being mathematically eliminated in Week 14 had led Rodgers to cool down his crusade to return from his Achilles tear before season’s end and instead gear up for 2024. This involved continuing to rehab in Los Angeles, but The Athletic adds Johnson pushed the quarterback to come back to New York and return to practice. This prompted the Jets to use one of their injury activations on a player who did not end up playing again. Rodgers expressed disappointment he was activated as it cost fullback Nick Bawden a roster spot. Rodgers said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the activation — which occurred in Week 16 — was not his idea.

Other strange quarterback incidents have occurred during Johnson’s recent years back from his role as ambassador to the United Kingdom. He is believed to have criticized then-starter Mike White in front of other players, following a Week 17 loss to the Seahawks in which White played through broken ribs. Allegedly saying, “You should throw your helmet; you f—– suck” in reference to White postgame, per Russini, Rosenblatt and Silver. Johnson later apologized to the QB once the owner’s comments eventually got back to him, per a Jets spokesperson. White left in free agency weeks later, leaving the Jets without veteran protection once Rodgers went down.

Postgame criticism from the Johnsons has not been isolated to quarterbacks, as The Athletic adds the owner’s teenage sons — Brick and Jack — were heard “loudly” criticizing multiple players after the Jets’ Week 17 loss to the Browns in 2023. In a separate matter related to access, Johnson also had members of his investment group at Jets draft and free agency meetings this year. These revelations, among others involving access to the team’s locker room, will not exactly endear the Jets to free agents.

Additionally, in a matter perhaps stranger than the Jeudy process, Johnson is believed to have told Douglas to keep the Jets’ Mr. Irrelevant draft choice (No. 257) and instead trade 256 to the Broncos. Denver had asked for No. 257 in the pick-swap trade for Zach Wilson, but the teams ended up finalizing a weeks-long negotiation in a trade that included No. 256 going from Denver to New York. This would be a rather shocking footnote for an eventful Jets year, as this report would have Johnson valuing Mr. Irrelevant-related publicity over a slightly better pick.

White and Wilson are long gone, while Rodgers is viewed as on his way out. But the 2024 Jets draft also included another quarterback, Jordan Travis, chosen in the fifth round. This will amount to a redshirt season for the Florida State alum, who has been on the reserve/NFI list throughout the season. Ulbrich said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) the ankle injury that altered the Seminoles’ CFP hopes last year remains an issue, indicating Travis has suffered setbacks in his recovery this year.

Unlike Hendon Hooker last year, Travis does not appear set to move onto his team’s active roster before season’s end. This would mean Travis’ contract would toll, extending his rookie deal through 2028. Travis has bigger hurdles to navigate in the short term, however.

Johnson is viewed as likely to stay with the Jets following this season. The news of Donald Trump’s second presidential administration tabbing someone else (banker Warren Stevens) as the UK ambassador surprised Johnson, according to The Athletic. The owner will continue to play the lead role in hiring a coach and GM, doing so after brother Christopher Johnson hired Douglas and Saleh. Some hesitation from candidates certainly could be part of the fallout from recent events becoming public.

Woody Johnson Unlikely To Leave Jets For Trump Administration Role?

December 17th, 2024 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first Donald Trump presidential administration featured Jets owner Woody Johnson as the ambassador to the United Kingdom. This led to Johnson not being directly involved with the Todd Bowles firing or the hires of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh. As the decks are being cleared in New York, Johnson may be playing the lead role as the team retools.

Johnson is not set to be the next UK ambassador; investment banker Warren Stephens is on track to serve in that post. While Johnson could be in line for a separate role during Trump’s second term, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes the Jets are not expecting the owner be part of this administration.

This route taking shape would keep Johnson with the Jets during what will be an eventful period. The Jets fired Saleh after Week 5, with Johnson going around Douglas to make that move, and the owner then canned Douglas last month. The Saleh firing did not key a boost for the Jets, who have slunk to 4-10 (2-7 under interim HC Jeff Ulbrich), and they are believed to be prioritizing experience this time. Since Bill Belichick‘s abrupt resignation in 2000, the Jets have primarily hired first-time head coaches; Adam Gase was the only exception during Johnson’s 24-year ownership tenure.

Woody Johnson, 77, leaving the team in 2017 left brother Christopher Johnson in place as acting owner. The less seasoned Jets leader led the Douglas and Saleh hires, firing Bowles in 2018 and GM Mike Maccagnan in 2019. Christopher Johnson is expected to play a role in the upcoming hires, with Jones adding Jets president Hymie Elhai will be part of the process as well. But this set of hires will feature Woody Johnson as the final decision-maker.

The prospect of Woody Johnson being the point man is also interesting due to the increased role he has taken on in recent months. Johnson has meddled in personnel matters significantly in 2024, with Jones indicating he has taken on a greater role as the year has progressed. The offseason involved Johnson impeding Douglas on a Bryce Huff offer while also nixing a trade for Jerry Jeudy. Johnson also appeared more resistant to a Haason Reddick extension than Douglas was, though the owner did step in — with Douglas effectively stripped of power — to finalize the agreement to bring him in.

Reports of a rift between Woody Johnson and Aaron Rodgers emerged as well. Johnson called for Rodgers’ benching after a Week 4 loss to the Broncos and may well have done so again at a different point in the season. While the future Hall of Fame quarterback — believed to be on his way out of New York — attempted to downplay those reports, it is clear Johnson has become a more prominent presence with regards to roster say than he has in the past. With Johnson potentially staying put, this will be a key component as the Jets attempt to hire HC and GMs. Mike Vrabel, who is viewed as an early frontrunner, will need to take potential Johnson input into consideration.

Ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman are playing central roles in the Jets’ hiring process as well, being brought in by Woody Johnson to run the interview process. This has already brought GM interviews with Thomas Dimitroff and Jon Robinson. GM and HC candidates not tied to teams are free to interview now, but clubs conducting searches must wait until divisional-round week to meet with candidates who are on other staffs. As the Jets attempt to reverse course after their NFL-long playoff drought has reached 14 seasons, it seems Woody Johnson will see this process to the end this time.

Jets Attempted To Set Up Meeting Between Bill Belichick, Woody Johnson

December 16th, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Taking the job at North Carolina, Bill Belichick is now navigating college football’s transfer portal/NIL landscape that has caused so much instability within the sport. The Tar Heels are pitching to recruits and transfers the prospect of learning an NFL-style program, doing so after Belichick expressed considerable dissatisfaction with his standing within the league as a coaching free agent.

Rather than take another spin on the NFL’s HC carousel, Belichick accepted what amounts to a three-year, $30MM offer from the ACC school. An interesting buyout structure exists in Belichick’s North Carolina contract, dropping a payout from $10MM to $1MM after June 1, 2025. That would open the door to a potential NFL return.

While that buyout structure could conceivably affect players’ interest in coming to Chapel Hill, an NFL door is technically open. Though, Belichick’s age (73 in April) will offer a potential dealbreaker for teams looking to arrange longer-term plans. The 2026 HC carousel figures to produce Belichick rumors, depending on how his first Tar Heels season unfolds, but the 49-year NFL coach did contact at least one team about a 2025 job. Despite Belichick’s issues with the Jets, he reached out to Mike Tannenbaum — his coworker in Cleveland and with the Jets in the 1990s — about the job.

Running the Jets’ search, the former GM took this to the team, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes. This led to the Jets giving it consideration, to the point Breer adds the team attempted to set up a Belichick meeting with owner Woody Johnson. Belichick and Johnson have a frosty history, as it had been long reported the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC would not consider the Jets. Beyond Belichick’s 2000 resignation — which led to a trade agreement with the Patriots — along with the Jets being the team that triggered the NFL’s Spygate investigation (and eventual punishment) and Belichick recently criticizing Johnson’s ownership approach on the Manningcast, this effort reaching the stage it did is rather interesting.

Johnson has taken on an increased role in Jets personnel matters this year, impeding Joe Douglas on a potential Jerry Jeudy trade and Bryce Huff offer while later impacting the team’s situation with Haason Reddick. Belichick being open to working with the owner, who did not yet own the team when Belichick served as Bill Parcells‘ DC in the late 1990s, effectively speaks to his view of the Jets’ roster. The timelines did not matchup, however, as the Jets are at the beginning of what is expected to be a thorough search. With North Carolina needing an answer quickly, Belichick jumped and is skipping the 2025 HC carousel.

Belichick had done increased research on the evolving college game, which has changed significantly during the 2020s. He appears to be in the college ranks due to the control North Carolina has offered and a befuddlement at the NFL’s lack of interest. The league not showing more interest has “perplexed” the legendary coach’s inner circle, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes.

“I think there would’ve been some interest, but in the end, really, it’s not about what could’ve been or would’ve been, it’s about the opportunity at North Carolina,” Belichick said during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio’s Let’s Go! (video link). “I think this program is in the right spot now to take off.”

During his months-long media tour, Belichick and his agent did conduct backchannel communication with NFL owners to gauge interest, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. This occurred during the 2024 HC hiring period as well. Breer adds Belichick did not reach out to every team with a current HC vacancy, meaning either the Saints or Bears — potentially both — were not contacted. Belichick’s camp had viewed Chicago as an interesting destination but expects the NFC North team to hire an offense-oriented HC. At North Carolina, Belichick will oversee the football operation in a way he would not have been allowed to had he returned to the NFL.

The Jets are looking for a new HC-GM combination. Belichick had coached against numerous Jets power structures, working as the Patriots’ de facto GM. The NFL still has coaches operating with final say, but not many. Teams were skeptical Belichick would be able to cede power, even though he had attempted to convince Arthur Blank he was not asking for personnel power. He will have it at North Carolina and try to execute the Patriot Way, or a modified version of it, there in 2025.

Jets Sticking With Aaron Rodgers; Woody Johnson Wanted QB Benched On Multiple Occasions?

December 2nd, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the final stage of a wildly disappointing season, the Jets have dropped to 3-9. They have not seen their Aaron Rodgers trade come close to meeting expectations, and the now-41-year-old quarterback is not believed to be in the team’s plans beyond this season.

It would then be understandable if the sides reached a resolution of sorts, as Rodgers has played through injuries separate from his Achilles — an injury that defined his 2023 season — for much of this year. An IR placement or outright benching emerged as a potential solution here, but interim HC Jeff Ulbrich pushed back on that coming out of a bye week. After a loss to the Seahawks, the Jets are not changing course.

Ulbrich announced Monday (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that Rodgers will remain the team’s starter for its Week 14 game — and for the season’s remainder. Ulbrich was less definitive when asked about his starter following the Jets’ Week 13 loss but returned to form today by indicating Rodgers can still play at a “high level.” The interim boss also indicated Rodgers’ decorated resume is part of the conversation here.

Rodgers said in mid-November he wanted to keep playing beyond 2024, comments in line with his previous New York-era stances, but walked that back last week by noting he was not yet sure. The increasingly outspoken QB also said he wanted to play for Ulbrich in New York again next season, though he stopped short (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio) of ruling out playing for another coach in 2025. Considering how poorly the Jets have fared, Ulbrich has next to no chance of returning as their HC. The team has already brought in The33rdteam.com’s Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to run the upcoming searches, one that will undoubtedly tab outside HC and GM hires.

This is potentially the least amount of leverage Rodgers has held in his NFL career. After being given considerable power upon being traded to New York, Rodgers has not shown much of his MVP-level form. That continued Sunday, when the 20th-year veteran missed a wide-open Garrett Wilson for a score and then threw a pick-six to Leonard Williams on the ensuing play. Likely on his way out after two Jets seasons, Rodgers profiles as a lame duck.

The Jets appear prepared to eat the second-most dead money for a single player in NFL history ($49MM) next year to start fresh. For what it’s worth, Ulbrich attributes (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) much of Rodgers’ struggles this season to the injuries he has sustained. Rodgers has battled hamstring, knee and ankle maladies this season. Though, he was off Gang Green’s injury report in Week 13.

Rodgers’ Achilles tear and spate of nagging issues this season will naturally affect his chances of playing in 2025. Interest may well emerge for a diminished version of the four-time MVP, but a free agency foray is highly unlikely to approach the level of interest Tom Brady did when he hit the market ahead of an age-43 season in 2020. That and maybe Warren Moon‘s 1997 free agency bid (when the former Oilers and Vikings starter joined the Seahawks before his age-41 campaign) are about the only parallels to what a Rodgers FA effort may look like.

As for this season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds Woody Johnson may not have confined his calls for a Rodgers benching to merely the post-Week 4 effort. Johnson making another push for the high-priced passer to be benched for Tyrod Taylor would obviously be notable, as it certainly increases the likelihood Rodgers is off the Jets’ roster next year. It also could point to ownership again intervening at QB late this season.

Although a recent report attempted to pour cold water on the drama between Johnson and Rodgers, the 77-year-old owner has taken considerable heat for impeding former GM Joe Douglas during the final year of his run. Johnson’s outsized role figures to be a key topic when interviews for the Jets’ GM and HC positions begin.

Jets Expected To Target Experience In GM, HC Searches

November 24th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Since Bill Parcells stepped down nearly 25 years ago, the Jets have leaned toward first-time head coaches. Woody Johnson‘s ownership tenure has featured seven HC hires; only one has been a retread. As they navigate another disappointing season and the slew of negative press that has come with it, the Jets look to be aiming in different direction.

Gang Green wants experience at both the HC and GM spots, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Although second-chance GMs are not overly common in today’s NFL (only two — Tom Telesco, Trent Baalke — are currently in place), retread HCs are.

Thus far in Johnson’s tenure, only one (Adam Gase) signed on to be the Jets’ HC. And that came while Christopher Johnson was serving as acting owner. One experienced HC candidate, however, has thrown his hat in the ring already. Eager to return to the league, ESPN’s Rex Ryan — the Jets’ HC from 2009-14 — wants to return to the Jets. Ryan has not coached since the Bills fired him late in his second season.

With Woody Johnson still mentioned as returning to his role as ambassador to the United Kingdom during the second Donald Trump administration, Christopher may need to play a central role in another hire. Christopher was in charge when the Jets hired Gase (2019) and Robert Saleh (2021), but Woody will lead the searches now. The Jets want to launch their GM search now, per Jones, though they cannot interview any HC or GM candidates currently on NFL staffs until the regular season ends. For the most part, that will stall searches.

Although Jones adds the Jets are likely to have an advisor helping steer these hires without going as far as using a search firm, the obvious question of HC/GM aspirants’ willingness to work for the franchise comes up. Woody Johnson impeded since-fired GM Joe Douglas at many stops. He was believed to have blocked a substantial effort to add a quarterback following Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear last year; a year later, the owner suggested Saleh’s staff bench the four-time MVP after Week 4. Johnson also stonewalled Douglas on a Jerry Jeudy trade and meddled on the Bryce Huff and Haason Reddick contract fronts.

This has not been a good year for Johnson, whose team will undoubtedly extend the longest active NFL playoff drought to 14 seasons soon. A habit of listening to non-football staffers has added to Johnson’s list of shortcomings, and Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline adds the 77-year-old owner is not well regarded in most aspects around the league. The consensus in the aftermath of the Douglas ouster has been for the criticized owner to hire a presence to check his meddling, but staffers around the NFL do not expect Jets ownership to cede that much power.

As Douglas had expressed a disenchantment with Johnson for years, per Pauline, the Jets may need to dole out a higher salary to replace their six-year GM. The team is believed to be prepared to pay well, Jones adds, but it certainly would surprise if this job was at the top of most candidates’ lists. Rodgers boosting the Jets to a worse draft pick would also hinder the next set of Jet decision-makers, though it is now viewed as likely the team sits its high-profile QB — via IR or a straight-up benching — soon ahead of an expected 2025 divorce.

Woody Johnson’s anticipated departure for an ambassador post would stand to help mitigate the meddling issues that have resurfaced in recent days, but Christopher Johnson is not exactly a highly regarded football presence, either. The Jets will be tasked with adding another quarterback to lead what is still viewed as a talented roster.

The latter component will be a top selling point for the Johnsons, who have failed on the QB front with both veterans (Rodgers, Brett Favre) and with every rookie prospect — save for some early-career Mark Sanchez work — since Chad Pennington. After a wildly disappointing season, how Jets ownership goes about convincing quality HC and GM candidates to sign up will be one of the offseason carousels’ top storylines.

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