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The first step toward making a change is admitting there’s a problem, and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is now on that path. The 77-year-old businessman got honest at Gang Green’s introductory presser for general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn on Monday, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
I have to look in the mirror, and I have to be a better owner,” Johnson said Monday. “And I’m trying to be better.”
Johnson has cycled through several regimes since purchasing the Jets in 2000. While his ownership tenure started with six playoff appearances in the first decade, New York has yet to return to the tournament since 2010. Since then, he’s presided over several circuses like the Tim Tebow era, the Buttfumble, and the 5-12 2024 campaign with Aaron Rodgers.
’24 was unique because it marked the first time that Johnson fired his head coach and general manager in-season. The embattled chairman wanted to create a spark by ousting Robert Saleh after starting 2-3, but it backfired.
Johnson reportedly interfered with management and coaching decisions, such as nixing a Jerry Jeudy trade because his Madden rating wasn’t high enough, via The Athletic. However, he denied that story on Monday.
“You don’t believe those reports, do you?” Johnson said. “It was a lot of exaggeration and hyperbole, it really was. You really have to take all that stuff with a grain of salt because you don’t know how much — nobody knows how involved I was. Yes, I want Aaron Glenn to coach the team. I want the general manager to manage the assets and the players, and I’ll take the owner’s position.”
While words don’t guarantee anything, his statement is in line with what it takes to be a successful owner. Now that Johnson has found his newest regime, all he has to do is sign checks and get out of the way.
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