What happens if Jets owner Woody Johnson leaves for the Trump administration again?
The New York Jets’ playoff hopes likely died in the Sonoran Desert. Owner Woody Johnson’s big moves — firing head coach Robert Saleh, replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich and trading for wide receiver Davante Adams — didn’t work.
Johnson foresaw that this season would end in the land of milk and honey. Instead, the Jets are 3-7 after their latest embarrassing loss. Johnson may not even be around for the aftermath.
In the run-up to the presidential election, there was expectation around the Jets facility that, if Donald Trump won, Johnson would leave to join his administration, as he did in 2016 when Johnson was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom . During the 2024 campaign, Johnson made a handful of appearances on Fox News challenging Trump, his friend, and hosted Trump in his box during the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday Night Road Game a few weeks ago, which took place the day after a Trump meeting in Latrobe, Pa. If Johnson returns to work for the White House, that news will likely subside in the coming weeks. Trump last chose Johnson on January 19, 2017, and Johnson was confirmed in June. He would not have to go through the confirmation process again if appointed to the same position – ambassador to Britain – although Johnson would have to be confirmed if appointed to a different position.
Last time around, Johnson’s brother, Vice Chairman Christopher Johnson, led the franchise for three and a half years until Woody Johnson returned in 2021. Christopher Johnson wasn’t with the team much in 2022 or ’23, but was back in the fold in ’23. 24, possibly in preparation to take over when his brother leaves again. And if Woody Johnson leaves, it would have a lot of implications for the Jets’ immediate future, and beyond.
There’s a good chance the Jets will look for a new head coach and general manager this winter. Ulbrich, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, hasn’t shown enough to earn the full-time job since replacing Saleh in the interim, largely because the defense has taken a step back. The Jets rank last in the NFL in defensive EPA since Ulbrich became interim head coach, as well as 25th in rushing defense, 26th in red zone defense and 25th in scoring defense. In the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, they missed 20 tackles per NextGen. As for general manager Joe Douglas, he has felt like a dead man since Johnson began issuing his will without involving Douglas, who was not consulted before the decision to fire Saleh. Johnson also pushed for the Adams trade and to get Haason Reddick in the building on a restructured contract after a lengthy delay.
“Woody and I talk every day,” Douglas said recently, defeatedly. “I serve at the pleasure of the owner.”
Douglas is in the final year of a six-year contract and his best season in terms of record – 7-9 in 2019 – came with a roster he didn’t even build, hired in June of that year after free agency and the NFL Draft . He never made the playoffs and as Jets GM has a worse career winning percentage than his predecessors John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan.
Everyone in the league watched from afar when Johnson fired Saleh in Week 5 and took over from Douglas. Then they saw the results on the field. There will be interest if the jobs open up — there are only 32 NFL head coaching and general manager positions, after all — but this doesn’t exactly look like an attractive organization for a future coach or general manager. Candidates with options might think twice.
So that begs the question: how involved Woody Johnson will be when it comes to the next steps, which could also impact the Jets’ ability to attract quality prospects. He will most likely be involved in both searches (if Ulbrich and Douglas are gone), along with Christopher, before joining the Trump administration (if he leaves).
There’s also the question of how this affects the future of Rodgers, who was supposed to be the franchise’s savior but instead looks like a shell of his former self. In the Cardinals’ loss, he had 151 passing yards on 35 pass attempts, the second-fewest yards he has ever had on 30 or more attempts in a single game.
Some in the organization are wondering if, if the season continues on this path and Rodgers continues to play the way he has, he might choose to retire. He turns 41 in December. There’s also the question of which coach would want to join a Rodgers-led team as his skills diminish, given everything that coaching Rodgers entails, from the circus off the field to the control of the field he demands.
Rodgers currently only has a $23.5 million cap hit next year, but if he were to be fired or retire, the Jets would have to pay a $49 million dead cap charge. If the Jets were to cut him (or retire) after June 1, they could spread the $49 million hit over two seasons, with $14 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.
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However, there’s still a possibility that Rodgers returns in 2025, and it actually starts with Woody and Christopher Johnson’s dynamic. Rodgers has a close relationship with Christoper Johnson. When the Jets contingent (the Johnsons, Saleh, Douglas, Nathaniel Hackett and team president Hymie Elhai) visited Rodgers at his Malibu home last year to try to convince him to join their team, Christopher Johnson actually arrived first and spent time with the quarterback before the others arrived. Rodgers has a closer relationship with Christopher than Woody, according to team sources, and some think Christopher Johnson’s presence could convince Rodgers to stay.
However, if Woody Johnson makes the decision, it wouldn’t be shocking if he wanted to move on from Rodgers considering the lack of success the team has had compared to expectations. After firing Saleh, Johnson called this Jets roster the most talented in his 25 years as owner.
Regardless of whether Rodgers returns, the roster will likely look very different in 2025. Some notable players will become free agents: cornerback DJ Reed, tight end Tyler Conklin, tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, defensive end Haason Reddick, linebacker Jamien Sherwood, safety Tony Adams, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Isaiah Oliver. The Jets will also have to make decisions on wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Star 2022 draft picks Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are eligible for extensions for the first time.
Christopher Johnson made some questionable decisions during his time leading the team, namely hiring Adam Gase in 2019, and waiting until after free agency and the draft to fire Maccagnan later that year. But some on the team believe Christopher Johnson has learned a lot from his first go-around and is more likely to give whoever the Jets hire as general manager the autonomy to run the team without much interference. That’s less likely if Woody Johnson remains in the building.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
