Simply if you thought the Jets couldn’t get any extra dysfunctional, they proceed to show in any other case.
That by no means grew to become extra evident than after a damning report of Woody Johnson’s possession of the franchise was revealed by The Athletic and laid naked the problems inside 1 Jets Drive in Florham Park.
The report included explosive nuggets akin to that Johnson has used video-game scores to judge gamers, has his teenage sons concerned in crew conferences and that the Johnson household has brazenly trashed Gang Inexperienced gamers.
One of many examples given within the article launched on Thursday morning was in 2022 when the Jets’ Week 17 loss at Seattle formally eradicated the crew from playoff competition. Johnson criticized quarterback Mike White’s efficiency after he had performed with damaged ribs, which he had suffered two weeks earlier in a loss to the Payments.
“After the game, with the quarterback in the showers after throwing his helmet to the locker room floor, multiple Jets players said they heard Johnson say, ‘You should throw your helmet, you f–king suck.’ The statement got back to White,” The Athletic reported.
A spokesperson later instructed The Athletic that Johnson apologized to White for the remark, however the injury was accomplished.
The Athletic additionally stated that Johnson’s sons directed “disparaging” feedback at sure gamers following the Jets’ Week 17 loss at Cleveland in 2023.
In 2022, the Jets started the season with a promising 7-4 begin. Nevertheless, Gang Inexperienced collapsed and misplaced six straight to finish the season 7-10 and missed the playoffs, extending its playoff drought to 12 seasons. Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles damage in his Jets debut resulted in one other 7-10 marketing campaign in 2023. The Jets have now gone 14 years with out making the playoffs after being eradicated following a loss to the Dolphins earlier this month.
Presently, Johnson is in search of one other new coach and a common supervisor after firing Saleh on Oct. 8 and Joe Douglas on Nov. 19. Though there are solely 32 NFL teaching and common supervisor jobs across the league, there are doubtless going to be candidates who need nothing to do with the Jets group.
The article additionally referenced a number of situations when Johnson talked about “Madden NFL” participant scores when discussing potential commerce targets.
Johnson reportedly acquired concerned and nixed a commerce with the Broncos for vast receiver Jerry Jeudy as a result of his Madden score was allegedly too low. In one other occasion, Johnson additionally “pushed back on signing left guard John Simpson due to a lackluster ‘awareness’ rating in Madden.”
The Jets finally signed Simpson final March anyway, and he has been certainly one of their finest offensive linemen this season, taking part in in each sport thus far.
One of the crucial perplexing a part of The Athletic’s report is the affect throughout the group of his two teenage sons, Brick and Jack.
“I answer to a teenager,” Douglas reportedly joked to friends earlier than the season.
Johnson declined to remark to the publication, and the Jets disputed the claims.
“It is used as a reference point, it is not determinative,” the spokesperson stated to The Athletic about affect of Brick and Jack over their father. “It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad. It’s ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives.
“[The sons] have no roles in the organization. It’s completely ridiculous to suggest that any outside info is intended to replace the opinions of [Johnson’s] staff.”
The Jets have been criticized for years for being a dysfunctional group. They presently have the longest playoff drought in North American sports activities and the longest shedding season drought (9).
Johnson is just not the primary meddling proprietor in sports activities and won’t be the final. However he’s the largest purpose why the Jets are presently within the funk they’ve been in for the previous 14-plus seasons.
Too typically since changing into the proprietor in 2000, Johnson has concerned himself in soccer actions, whether or not it’s going into the locker room after video games or influencing roster choices. Earlier than he fired Douglas, Johnson closely facilitated the Davante Adams commerce to the Jets on Oct. 15, in accordance with sources. He additionally finally acquired Haason Reddick to finish his holdout attributable to a contract dispute, though that was Douglas’ job.
Johnson additionally instructed that the Jets coaches bench Rodgers after their 10-9 loss to the Broncos in Week 4, in accordance with sources. Clearly, Rodgers stored beginning for the Jets and has performed in each sport this season, however some individuals have been reportedly surprised by the suggestion.
If the Jets wish to finish their stretch of playoff futility, it has to begin with Johnson on the prime. Since final making the playoffs in 2010, the Jets have had a handful of rebuilds however nothing to point out for it. Johnson will rent his fourth coach since Rex Ryan guided the Jets to the AFC title sport on Jan. 23, 2011.
It’s very important that Johnson hires the correct common supervisor and coach. Extra importantly, he should keep out of the way in which and let the soccer personnel he hires do their jobs. That is likely one of the many causes the Jets are 4-10 and don’t have anything to play for however satisfaction throughout the season’s final three weeks.
If Johnson continues to run his crew prefer it’s cocktail hour in Palm Seaside, the Jets will proceed to overlook the playoffs season after season.
