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Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly rejected the Jerry Jeudy trade because of Madden’s valuation and is letting teenage sons influence decisions

Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly rejected the Jerry Jeudy trade because of Madden’s valuation and is letting teenage sons influence decisions

The New York Jets were eliminated from the playoffs for the 14th time in a row a few weeks ago. They’re 4-10 and never really had a chance this year. Many people realize that there are problems in the organization. It looks bad from the outside, but how bad could it really be?

Answer: unimaginable, almost unbelievably bad. And it all seems to come from team owner Woody Johnson, the 77-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune, who has owned the Jets since 2000.

According to Zack Rosenblatt, Diana Russini and Mike Silver of The Athletic, Johnson’s hands-on, pushy approach to ownership has hampered the team, particularly in recent seasons. They spoke to more than 20 current or former Jets players, coaches and executives, all of whom were granted anonymity so they could speak freely.

“There are organizations where everything is geared toward winning,” a player on the team told The Athletic in 2023. “It feels completely different (with the Jets). It’s the most dysfunctional place you can imagine.”

One of the most eye-popping, head-scratching and mind-bending parts of The Athletic’s extensive report on Johnson is what he did in March when then-GM Joe Douglas wanted to complete a trade for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Douglas reportedly had everything lined up to join the Denver Broncos, the team Jeudy played for in 2023, and just needed Johnson’s approval to get things started and bring in a player who would be another offensive weapon for QB Aaron Rodgers could have been.

But instead of giving his consent, Johnson reportedly nixed the deal and the deal never went through. Why?

Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating on “Madden NFL,” the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources.

Real NFL statistics are used to create Madden ratings, but they are calibrated for use in the video game itself, where the digital players can do things that their real, human counterparts cannot possibly do. It is not clear whether Johnson knows the purpose and intent of the Madden reviews or whether he has ever played the game himself.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson stands on the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)New York Jets owner Woody Johnson stands on the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

Jets owner Woody Johnson is reportedly ruining the team with his own decisions. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

According to The Athletic, Johnson’s fixation on Madden ratings can be traced to his teenage sons Brick and Jack. They reportedly have their father’s ear, which is why he is used to sharing posts from social media platform X and other media channels with team managers.

“When we discuss things, you hear Woody quoting something that Brick or Jack read online and that is equally weighed against the opinions of others in the department,” a Jets executive told The Athletic.

A Jets spokesman did not believe Brick and Jack influence their father’s decision-making.

“It is used as a reference point; it is not decisive,” the spokesman told The Athletic. “It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make his father look bad. Frankly, it is ridiculous that this has been used to influence the opinions of senior leaders.”

But before the 2024 season, Douglas reportedly told close friends: “I’m answering to a teenager.”

These teenagers reportedly influence more than just their father’s opinion. Johnson reportedly allows his sons and their friends access to the team’s locker room, where only players, coaches and other team personnel are normally allowed. According to The Athletic, Brick and Jack were heard bad-mouthing Jets players in the locker room after games. And Brick’s presence led to a disappointing moment in the locker room after the team’s victory on Halloween, its first under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

Rodgers had a game ball in his hand to give to Ulbrich, a tradition when a head coach gets his first win. But that didn’t happen.

But before Rodgers could speak, Brick Johnson picked up another game ball and handed it to wide receiver Garrett Wilson in a profanity-laced exclamation that the owner’s son later posted on Instagram. Woody Johnson then gave Ulbrich the ball that Rodgers had been holding. Several players said the energy drained from the room.

“It was the most embarrassing, frightening and brutal experience,” one player said.

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