With Aaron Rodgers returning from his Achilles injury this year, there was a lot of hype surrounding the New York Jets starting quarterback. But apparently, before the first month of the season was even over, Jets owner Woody Johnson wasn’t very impressed with what he saw on the field from his new quarterback.
According to The Athletic, Johnson wanted Rodgers sent to the bench following the Jets’ 10-9 loss to the Broncos in Week 4. The 40-year-old Rodgers was sacked five times in the loss and he threw for just 225 yards with zero touchdowns.
After the game, Johnson reportedly called an all-hands-on-deck meeting that featured several prominent members of the organization, including his brother Christopher Johnson and team president Hymie Elhai. Several members of the coaching staff, including then-coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and defensive coordinator (and now interim head coach) Jeff Ulbrich were in attendance. It was during that meeting, per The Athletic, that Johnson suggested to everyone that the team should bench Rodgers.
Johnson, who bought the team in 2000, thought that Tyrod Taylor would give his team a better chance of winning.
Apparently, the coaching staff thought Johnson’s idea was crazy. Although Rodgers struggled against the Broncos, the Jets had been 2-1 going into the game with Rodgers throwing five touchdown passes over the first three games. The Jets also likely would have won the Denver game if not for a missed field goal by Greg Zuerlein in the final minute.
If the Jets had gone through with the move to bench Rodgers, a four-time MVP, it would have been one of the most shocking moves in recent NFL history. The Jets made a trade for Rodgers in April 2023, but his first season with the team was cut short after he suffered an Achilles injury in Week 1.
Although Rodgers didn’t get benched, Johnson’s suggestion apparently created some tension in the organization, and just nine days later, Saleh was fired following a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. After dumping Saleh, Johnson threw some shade at his coach by calling the 2024 Jets “one of the most-talented teams that has ever been assembled,” which seemed to insinuate that it was Saleh’s fault that they weren’t playing better (or maybe even Rodgers’ fault).
“This is one of the most-talented teams that has ever been assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said after the firing. “I wanted to give this team the most opportunity to win this this season. I feel that we had to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that.”
One week after Saleh was fired, the Jets made the decision to trade for Davante Adams in a bid to salvage their season. The Jets were 2-4 before the trade and have gone 1-4 since.
Johnson made the decision to fire Saleh without talking to general manager Joe Douglas, who had very little power in the organization at that point. And not surprisingly, six weeks after Saleh was dumped, Douglas was also fired.
With Saleh and Douglas out of the way, Johnson is going to get what he wants, and if he wanted to bench Rodgers after just four weeks, you can bet he’s not too thrilled about the idea of the veteran QB returning in 2025. According to SNY.TV, the Jets would “prefer to move on” from Rodgers after the season.
Last week, Rodgers had said the he would be open to returning to the team in 2025, but that’s obviously not going to happen if the team doesn’t want him (If you’re wondering what the Jets would need to do to get out of Rodgers’ contract, we covered that here).
With Johnson going scorched earth over the past six weeks, it could leave the Jets in an awkward spot heading into the offseason. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported that Jets employees “are preparing for Woody Johnson to take a political post with the Donald Trump administration.”
Johnson served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the first Trump administration. During his time on the job, he turned over control of the franchise to his brother, Christopher, a team vice chairman. If Woody gets a similar post this time around, Christopher would likely take over again, but that could create more drama. It was Christopher who originally hired both Saleh and Douglas, and Woody undid those hirings by firing both men over the past six weeks.
The Jets have been one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional franchises over the past decade and that doesn’t seem to be changing. The team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2010, which is the NFL’s longest active drought without a playoff appearance.