NFL Insider Tells Pat McAfee New York Jets is ‘Dumpster Fire’ Situation

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson’s meddling in team affairs will make a head-coaching and general manager search harder, one insider says.

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

The fallout from New York Jets owner Woody Johnson’s decision to fire general manager Joe Douglas last week hasn’t been completely felt — yet.

It’s possible he won’t feel the real impact until he gets around to hiring a new general manager and head coach, says NFL insider and former team executive Michael Lombardi.

He spoke with ESPN’s Pat McAfee about the Jets opening recently and admitted that all of the reporting of the past week about Johnson’s significant recent involvement in team affairs is going to make it tough to hire, especially when it comes to a head coach.

“I think you're gonna have a hard time attracting a really serious candidate,” Lombardi said. “Really, why would Ben Johnson leave a great job at Detroit to come into this dumpster fire and work for a GM that you don't even know. It's really problematic.”

Johnson is the offensive coordinator of the Lions and is considered one of the top head-coaching candidates this cycle.

Last week The Athletic provided an in-depth accounting of Johnson’s sizable involvement in recent team decisions, including putting the brakes on an extension for defensive lineman Bryce Huff and a trade that would have brought wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Jets.

Perhaps the most significant revelation was Johnson’s push to have quarterback Aaron Rodgers benched after the team’s Week 4 loss to Denver and replace him with Tyrod Taylor.

Lombardi said the reporting revealed the true level of dysfunction in the organization.

“The best thing about this is, he has a meeting with (then-head coach Robert) Saleh and Douglas and he doesn't like what they say,” Lombardi said. “So he adds more people to the meeting and you know what happens when you have more people in the meeting? You get leaks. Now we know he was trying to bench Rodgers for Tyrod Taylor. I mean, this is dysfunction at the highest level.”

Lombardi speculated that Johnson wants to move quickly as it is likely he’ll take another ambassadorship in the Trump administration. But, he said that Johnson is likely to hire the general manager first, and then collaborate with that GM to hire the head coach. Then, decisions on whether to retain players — including Rodgers — would be made.

The Jets haven’t been to the playoffs in 14 years. In that span they’ve had several general managers and head coaches — but only one common denominator.

That would be Johnson.

“They’ve not been able to win and there's a reason for that because the owner’s involved in everything,” Lombardi said.