Jets Owner Woody Johnson Cited 'Madden' Ratings in Evaluating Players: Report

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson didn't want to trade for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy due to his "Madden" rating, per an explosive new report.

Dec 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson walks onto the field prior to the game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

After a story released by Dianna Russini and others on The Athletic's NFL Staff, things don't sound very promising for the New York Jets.

While some of these reports have been known over the past few years, owner Woody Johnson continues to have a much bigger hand in football situations than he should. That coud play a role in who ultimately takes the open general manager and head coaching spots, which Johnson is working to hire now.

But, in this report, all indications point to the Jets owner truly making every decision inside the building. If New York wants to eventually be a serious organization, that has to change. 

Reports indicated a few weeks ago that New York wanted to trade for Jerry Jeudy during the offseason, a move that would've given an offense that needed a playmaker exactly that. Instead, however, Johnson wanted nothing to do with him, and according to Russini, he cited his "Madden" rating as the reason he didn't want to trade for him.

"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in “Madden NFL,” the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources. The Broncos ultimately traded the receiver to the Cleveland Browns. Last Sunday, Jeudy crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career."

Jeudy wouldn't have been a savior for this organization, but there was a point last offseason where all the Jets needed offensively was a quality wide receiver. Part of the payoff, in this proposed trade, would have sent Allen Lazard to Cleveland.

For a team that had been searching for one for much of the past few seasons outside of Garrett Wilson, which was easily their biggest concern coming into the year, not trading for him was questionable. 

Johnson citing "Madden" ratings almost sounds too crazy to be true, but with the other moves he's made and other reports coming out of the Jets locker room, that's just the beginning of everything wrong.

A rating in a video game should never be how an owner evaluates players, and either way, these shouldn't be the decisions Johnson is making.

The expectation is for him to do a thorough search in the general manager and head coach department this offseason, but if he plans to make all the decisions again, why would anything change? 

Even more important than that, why would any competent head coach or general manager want to take this job if they have to deal with Johnson on their back every turn of the way? 

To make matters worse, Russini added that it wasn't the only time he used "Madden" ratings to evaluate players. Johnson wasn't high on John Simpson due to his "awareness" rating in the video game.