{"id":17954,"date":"2024-11-20T16:37:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T16:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17954"},"modified":"2024-11-20T16:37:41","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T16:37:41","slug":"woody-johnson-nixed-jets-effort-to-acquire-jerry-jeudy-impeded-joe-douglas-on-bryce-huff-haason-reddick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17954","title":{"rendered":"Woody Johnson Nixed Jets Effort To Acquire Jerry Jeudy, Impeded Joe Douglas On Bryce Huff, Haason Reddick"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Jets are barreling toward their 14th straight season wrapping without a playoff berth, and their Robert Saleh-Joe Douglas<\/strong> regime\u2019s unraveling<\/a> points to ownership having a more difficult time filling its HC and GM positions come 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Woody Johnson<\/strong>\u2018s meddling has become an issue for the Jets. The longtime owner admitted he went around Douglas to fire Saleh, something that led to the sixth-year GM losing power during his final weeks on the job<\/a>. Other Jets power brokers led the way in the Davante Adams<\/a><\/strong> trade and Haason Reddick<\/a><\/strong> resolution talks. Earlier this year, however, Johnson stood as a roadblock to Douglas\u2019 efforts to improve the team\u2019s roster in other ways.<\/p>\n

We heard in March the Jets joined the Browns and Patriots in pursuing<\/a> Jerry Jeudy<\/a><\/strong>. The then-Broncos wide receiver, a trade-block staple alongside ex-teammate Courtland Sutton<\/a><\/strong>, went to Cleveland for fifth- and sixth-round picks. Denver may well have obtained more for the former first-round pick had Douglas gotten his way.<\/p>\n

The Jets are believed to have offered a Day 2 pick and Allen Lazard<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a 2023 Broncos target<\/a> \u2014 for Jeudy, according to The Athletic\u2019s Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt, only to see Johnson nix any potential deal. Jeudy going into his age-25 season intrigued the Jets, who aimed to avoid aging players in this year\u2019s free agency (subscription required<\/a>). That did not end up happening, as Tyron Smith<\/a><\/strong> and Mike Williams<\/a><\/strong> joined trade pickup Morgan Moses<\/a><\/strong> in joining the Jets in March.<\/p>\n

It would have been interesting if the Broncos were willing to acquire Lazard, who was still owed a fully guaranteed base salary ($10MM) this year. Lazard underwhelmed after receiving $22MM guaranteed at signing in 2023. Denver did end up giving Josh Reynolds<\/a><\/strong> a two-year, $9MM deal; Lazard would have been costlier. Jeudy, who would have joined Garrett Wilson<\/a><\/strong> and potentially affected the Jets\u2019 interest in Adams, has since signed a Browns extension.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Weeks later, Douglas signed off on acquiring Reddick despite warnings from his camp the Jets should not trade for the talented edge rusher unless they wanted to extend him. As it turns out, Douglas appeared more open to an extension than he initially let on. Reddick had expressed frustration with the Jets, believing they would revisit extension talks<\/a>. Douglas may well have been onboard here, per The Athletic, which attributes the resistance to extending<\/a> the then-29-year-old EDGE to Johnson. Even as Johnson helped bring Reddick into the fold<\/a> in October, he certainly looks to have prevented his then-GM from extending him this offseason.<\/p>\n

Before the Jets zeroed in on Reddick, they let Bryce Huff<\/a><\/strong> walk. Huff joined the Eagles on a three-year, $51MM deal<\/a>, but if Douglas had his way, the team may have made a stronger effort to re-sign the team\u2019s 2023 sack leader. Johnson is believed to have blocked his GM from making an extension offer to Huff, whom many teams pursued<\/a> once the Jets let him hit the market. We heard in early February no offer had come<\/a>. This came months after Johnson is believed to have restricted his GM from making a stronger effort<\/a> to replace Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong> once the QB suffered an Achilles tear.<\/p>\n

Johnson also drove an effort to have safety Tony Adams<\/a><\/strong> benched in Week 11, with Russini and Rosenblatt reinforcing the notion the owner has placed too much stock in social media assessments of his team. Rumblings recently pointed to Johnson listening to too many non-football staffers<\/a> in making decisions. This offseason also featured multiple high-ranking Jets football ops staffers dismissed, with assistant GM Rex Hogan<\/strong> being fired<\/a> and then player personnel director Chad Alexander<\/strong> becoming the Chargers\u2019 assistant GM. Johnson prevented Douglas from replacing either staffer, Russini and Rosenblatt add. (For what it\u2019s worth, some in the organization believed Hogan had been responsible for many leaks<\/a>; though, a flood of leaks have come out in the months since.) The owner\u2019s actions led Douglas to tell some remaining Jets staffers Johnson \u201cshould just fire me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Also believed to have pushed for the Jets to bench Rodgers after the team\u2019s Week 4 loss to the Broncos \u2014 to the point one coach, per The Athletic, asked if the owner was serious \u2014 Johnson will have a lot to answer for after this wildly disappointing Jets season.<\/p>\n

The Jets are expected to part with Rodgers<\/a>, whom coaches feared would be embarrassed had Johnson gotten his way with the benching request. After all, Johnson played a key role in Rodgers agreeing to put off retirement and agree to a Jets trade last year. Sitting him for Tyrod Taylor<\/a><\/strong> so early in his Achilles comeback would have been one of the more shocking developments in recent NFL history.<\/p>\n

This increased meddling will not make it easier for the owner to find quality GM and HC options in 2025, but even as the former ambassador to the United Kingdom is in the mix to reclaim that post under the second Donald Trump administration (a move that would again leave Christopher Johnson<\/strong> as acting owner), Woody Johnson is set to lead the Jets\u2019 searches to replace Saleh and Douglas.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n