The New York Jets have the longest active postseason drought in all of sports. It’s been 14 years since the Jets last made the playoffs. And the team is well on its way to making it 15 straight. Failure on this level doesn’t just happen by itself. Unyielding incompetence of this magnitude needs a guiding hand. Now that the Jets have fired GM Joe Douglas, fans are getting a glimpse of the man at the controls behind the curtain.
It’s no surprise that team owner Woody Johnson is the man at the controls. However, his role in the day-to-day operation of the Jets and his many roster missteps are stupefying.
One prominent debacle involved edge rusher Bryce Huff. The Jets were hoping to retain their homegrown talent last offseason. Douglas was even prepared to send an extension offer to Huff’s agent, according to a piece on The Athletic by Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini. That’s when Johnson stepped in and shot down the deal for Huff. He also put the kibosh on any plan Douglas had that would pay “new money” to currently rostered players. This effectively tied the GM’s hands on extending Jets’ players.
In four seasons with the Jets, Huff had developed into a game-wrecking sack artist. He produced 10 sacks and 67 quarterback pressures in 2023 despite his rotational role with the team. Huff’s ability to put pressure on opposing QBs was essential to Robert Saleh’s defense.
The Jets reached the postseason six times in 25 years under Woody Johnson
Sep 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson on the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Ultimately, the Eagles signed Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million deal. The Jets ended up landing Haason Reddick in a trade with Philadelphia but the veteran defender held out for a new contract, missing the first six weeks of the season before finally reaching an agreement with the Jets and suiting up for the team.
According to Rosenblatt and Russini, Douglas’ power had slowly been stripped away by Johnson until it became a simple matter of time before he was fired. Woody alone made the decision to fire Saleh after New York’s Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Douglas was never consulted. With Saleh and Douglas gone, Woody is rid of the coach and GM his brother Christopher hired while the elder Johnson was serving as the Ambassador to the UK under the first Trump administration.
The Jets anticipated a successful season in 2024 with Aaron Rodgers returning from the Achilles injury suffered in his New York debut the previous year. But as a once promising season crashed and burned, and then rolled down a jagged hill before landing in a dumpster full of adult diapers, Johnson continued guiding the team. That guidance included calling for the Jets to bench Rodgers after a Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos.
All of these behind-the-scenes machinations take a toll and the Jets’ players are checked out following the departure of Douglas. While it’s increasingly unlikely that Rodgers will be back with New York in 2025, it appears that ownership would also prefer to move on.
