New York Jets Owner May Be Major Hurdle in Hiring New Coach, GM

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is about to embark on a new coaching and general manager search but he’ll have a lot of explaining to do.

Aug 3, 2023; Canton, Ohio, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is about to embark on another general manager and coaching search. He should expect pointed questions from prospective candidates about his own behavior the past year.

Any template for a prospective coach or general manager to question Johnson starts with Monday’s bombshell article in The Athletic, written by Dianna Russini and Jets writer Zack Rosenblatt.

While Jets fans know that Johnson has taken a more active role in the franchise the past several weeks, their reporting revealed that the owner has infused himself in team decision making for more than a year, to the point where some Jets sources believed he allowed social media to influence what he suggested to team officials, including Douglas.

It’s a direct contrast to what team officials expected when Johnson returned from the United Kingdom after serving as an ambassador for four years.

Firing general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday was, in some ways, merciful for the sixth-year boss. One former Jets employee told the site that Douglas “had checked out.”

Per the sourced reporting, it’s easy to see why he was worn down by Johnson. In the past year Johnson has:

Vetoed a contract extension for defensive star Bryce Huff;

Stopped a trade that would have sent Allen Lazard to Denver for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy;

Allowed his social media preoccupation lead to the signing of offensive lineman Tyron Smith and the trade for another offensive lineman, Morgan Moses;

Pushed to have quarterback Aaron Rodgers benched after the team’s Week 4 loss to Denver and have the Jets start Tyrod Taylor;

Also pushed Douglas to make the deal for wide receiver Davante Adams, even though the draft pick they gave up was perceived as above market value;

And, it was Johnson who pushed to have safety Tony Adams benched for Sunday’s game with Indianapolis.

Douglas isn’t blameless, of course. He went along with the Smith and Moses deals. He made the trade for edge rusher Haason Reddick even though his representatives said he wouldn’t play unless he got a new deal and it turned into an absurd holdout that helped no one involved. In the final analysis, New York didn’t have a winning season under Douglas’ leadership.

After Johnson fired Saleh without consulting Douglas, the general manager’s days were numbered. It was only a matter of whether Johnson allowed him to finish the contract or fired him.

On Tuesday, Johnson fired him. A new general manager and coaching search will begin. And those candidates will have plenty of questions about Johnson’s behavior the last year.