Sep 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson on the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking at the NFL Honors Awards in Las Vegas, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson made it clear that the time for the team to produce results is now. The owner took aim at both head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas for some of their failures.
Taking the brunt of the criticism, Saleh’s inability to put his players in position to succeed was brought up by the owner who said “We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly”, an indication that Johnson believes the team has enough quality players to produce more victories.
GM Joe Douglas didn’t get of scot-free as the lack of a true backup quarterback last season appeared to draw the owner’s ire. “You need a backup quarterback” Johnson would say “and we didn’t have one last year”.
While Woody Johnson stopped short of a playoff mandate, he wasn’t all that far off when he said “we have to do better than seven (wins), definitely”.
In addressing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers having too much power within the organization, the owner defended that decision. He would say Rodgers “has strong opinions on the way a team is built and we are digesting exactly how to interpreter that. You need an interpreter a little bit there, but I couldn’t be more impressed”.
A recent report from The Athletic claimed a rival AFC executive made a comment that suggested GM Joe Douglas is a Rodgers’ assistant and Johnson’s comment do little to dispel the claim. While nobody believes Rodgers is putting together a 53-man roster, it does appear the wants of Rodgers trump those of Douglas as this point.