Ex-Jets Running Back Says Team Cut Him After Urging Surgery He Didn’t Want

He suffered the injury away from the team during an offseason workout.

Free agent running back Ty Johnson took to Instagram this weekend and opened up about how the Jets released him after telling him to get a surgery he says he didn’t want. 

Johnson tore his pectoral muscle while doing a workout away from the team during the offseason and was cut shortly thereafter. In the Instagram video, he said he’s had some “dark, dark days” and broke down how his release happened.

“Saw the team doctor, he said, ‘You need to get it fixed,’” Johnson recalled. “Flew out the next day. Come back, happy, that I got it done, even though I didn’t want to get it done. That following Wednesday, you out of there. And I was like ‘damn.’”

It’s unclear if Johnson needed the surgery to return to football, but he clearly didn’t want it. He finished the 2022 season with 160 yards on 30 rush attempts for New York in 17 appearances. Despite still remaining unsigned, the 25-year-old is still optimistic about his young career. 

“At the end of the day, I know I’mma be alright,” he said. “I know God got my back.”