The Jets are barreling toward their 14th straight season wrapping without a playoff berth, and their Robert Saleh-Joe Douglas regime’s unraveling points to ownership having a more difficult time filling its HC and GM positions come 2025.
Woody Johnson‘s meddling has become an issue for the Jets. The longtime owner admitted he went around Douglas to fire Saleh, something that led to the sixth-year GM losing power during his final weeks on the job. Other Jets power brokers led the way in the Davante Adams trade and Haason Reddick resolution talks. Earlier this year, however, Johnson stood as a roadblock to Douglas’ efforts to improve the team’s roster in other ways.
We heard in March the Jets joined the Browns and Patriots in pursuing Jerry Jeudy. The then-Broncos wide receiver, a trade-block staple alongside ex-teammate Courtland Sutton, went to Cleveland for fifth- and sixth-round picks. Denver may well have obtained more for the former first-round pick had Douglas gotten his way.
The Jets are believed to have offered a Day 2 pick and Allen Lazard — a 2023 Broncos target — for Jeudy, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt, only to see Johnson nix any potential deal. Jeudy going into his age-25 season intrigued the Jets, who aimed to avoid aging players in this year’s free agency (subscription required). That did not end up happening, as Tyron Smith and Mike Williams joined trade pickup Morgan Moses in joining the Jets in March.
It would have been interesting if the Broncos were willing to acquire Lazard, who was still owed a fully guaranteed base salary ($10MM) this year. Lazard underwhelmed after receiving $22MM guaranteed at signing in 2023. Denver did end up giving Josh Reynolds a two-year, $9MM deal; Lazard would have been costlier. Jeudy, who would have joined Garrett Wilson and potentially affected the Jets’ interest in Adams, has since signed a Browns extension.
Weeks later, Douglas signed off on acquiring Reddick despite warnings from his camp the Jets should not trade for the talented edge rusher unless they wanted to extend him. As it turns out, Douglas appeared more open to an extension than he initially let on. Reddick had expressed frustration with the Jets, believing they would revisit extension talks. Douglas may well have been onboard here, per The Athletic, which attributes the resistance to extending the then-29-year-old EDGE to Johnson. Even as Johnson helped bring Reddick into the fold in October, he certainly looks to have prevented his then-GM from extending him this offseason.
Before the Jets zeroed in on Reddick, they let Bryce Huff walk. Huff joined the Eagles on a three-year, $51MM deal, but if Douglas had his way, the team may have made a stronger effort to re-sign the team’s 2023 sack leader. Johnson is believed to have blocked his GM from making an extension offer to Huff, whom many teams pursued once the Jets let him hit the market. We heard in early February no offer had come. This came months after Johnson is believed to have restricted his GM from making a stronger effort to replace Aaron Rodgers once the QB suffered an Achilles tear.
Johnson also drove an effort to have safety Tony Adams benched in Week 11, with Russini and Rosenblatt reinforcing the notion the owner has placed too much stock in social media assessments of his team. Rumblings recently pointed to Johnson listening to too many non-football staffers in making decisions. This offseason also featured multiple high-ranking Jets football ops staffers dismissed, with assistant GM Rex Hogan being fired and then player personnel director Chad Alexander becoming the Chargers’ assistant GM. Johnson prevented Douglas from replacing either staffer, Russini and Rosenblatt add. (For what it’s worth, some in the organization believed Hogan had been responsible for many leaks; though, a flood of leaks have come out in the months since.) The owner’s actions led Douglas to tell some remaining Jets staffers Johnson “should just fire me now.”
Also believed to have pushed for the Jets to bench Rodgers after the team’s Week 4 loss to the Broncos — to the point one coach, per The Athletic, asked if the owner was serious — Johnson will have a lot to answer for after this wildly disappointing Jets season.
The Jets are expected to part with Rodgers, whom coaches feared would be embarrassed had Johnson gotten his way with the benching request. After all, Johnson played a key role in Rodgers agreeing to put off retirement and agree to a Jets trade last year. Sitting him for Tyrod Taylor so early in his Achilles comeback would have been one of the more shocking developments in recent NFL history.
This increased meddling will not make it easier for the owner to find quality GM and HC options in 2025, but even as the former ambassador to the United Kingdom is in the mix to reclaim that post under the second Donald Trump administration (a move that would again leave Christopher Johnson as acting owner), Woody Johnson is set to lead the Jets’ searches to replace Saleh and Douglas.
I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that this is shocking news.
With apologies to Jane’s Addiction, nothing’s shocking.
Story brought to you by the agent of Joe Douglas. I suspect that Joe also wanted to adopt some puppies and kittens at the local shelter, but Woody wouldn’t allow it.
I mean, regardless of how you feel about Douglas’ track record, why even bother having a GM if you’re just going to dictate personnel decisions anyway?
This feels more like “Now we can leak what it was like to work for this yutz” than making stuff up to defend Douglas.
Probably was, but it’s also likely true. Douglas may have deserved to be fired either way, but whenever owners meddle in personnel moves, it never ends up well for the organization.
Why would anyone want to work or play for Woody Johnson?
TOTALLY AGREE !!!
TOTALLY AGREE !!!
How can anyone sign with the Jerks…..Uh, Jets when you have an owner like Woody Johnson???
if they cut Aaron Rodgers next year (as it is speculating) I wonder if Devante Adams would now asked to be traded again (to the Saints)???
He has no guarantees left on his contract, they’ll cut him and save the money
Johnson also drove an effort to have safety Tony Adams benched in Week 11, with Russini and Rosenblatt reinforcing the notion the owner has placed too much stock in social media assessments of his team………..
Somebody get woody Johnson away from the freaking controls already. If dude is letting social media drive decisions jets are in for a century of losing.
At this point jets might as well lose out and go for better draft position.
They should take a QB in either 1st or 2nd round and maybe you strike gold or maybe you suck and get a back up QB for 2026 and take a better qb in 2026 draft. Not ideal but no qb no winning.
Firing Saleh I thought was stupid but jets should bring in a qb guru. Probably whoever 49ers OC is they seem develop QBs
*smiles sincerely*
Jets also sabotaged their defense, first by letting Bryce Huff sign with Philadelphia, then trading John Franklin-Myers to Denver. JFM’s a good DE who’s thriving in the Broncos’ top-tier defense.
Letting Huff walk was fine, since he got big money for a guy the Jets only trusted as a rotational pass rusher, but I agree about JFM. They didn’t even save much money by trading him.
Example number 10,000,001 that being the heir of dynastic wealth doesn’t mean you’re smart.
“Were it not for the meddlesome owner I would have traded a day 2 pick for Jerry Jeudy” isn’t the flex you think it is, Joe.
The jets are my favorite soap opera. Nobody does as much to impede themselves like the jets. Ok, historically speaking, maybe the browns. But hard to not love watching the jets debacle another few seasons.
The Browns gave up a 5th and 6th for Jeudy but Douglas was willing to part with Lazard and a day 2 pick?
Might not be a bad thing that an owner blocked the trade
The difference between a third rounder and a fifth and a sixth doesn’t seem like an outrageous price to dump Lazard’s contract after year one.
Good point.
El oh el
Sell the damn team, Woody!
Woody: sell the team