New York Jets owner Woody Johnson buys diamond chain with name on it and reveals his inspiration behind the necklace

New York Jets owner and Johnson & Johnson heir Woody Johnson unveiled his new diamond necklace, reportedly containing 80 carats of gemstones in a white gold setting, according to TMZ.

Johnson, former ambassador to Britain for President Donald Trump, unveiled his new jewelry on the latest episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks. And similar to sophomore cornerback Sauce Gardner’s chain, Johnson’s features his first name written in diamonds.

“Of course I was inspired by you guys,” Johnson told players at the team facility last week, as seen on HBO. ‘I’ve been doing this for several years. And when I see this in August, and I see this team coming together, and the pieces that we’ve added and the development that I’ve seen so far, it’s absolutely incredible.

“We have to take advantage of this,” Johnson continued. “This doesn’t happen every day. It’s all up to you and everyone in this room. You have 15 million fans who are so excited they can barely contain themselves.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but every moment, every day, every ounce of energy is very important to you, to everyone who works in the building, and especially to the guys outside, so practice well today.”

Similar to sophomore cornerback Sauce Gardner’s chain (right), New York Jets owner Woody Johnson’s (left) features his first name written in diamonds

The 76-year-old Johnson unveiled his new necklace, containing 80 carats of precious stones

The Jets are poised to open the 2023 campaign with a new quarterback, four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, not to mention a number of promising 2022 holdovers, including Gardner and receiver Garrett Wilson.

The team also added a number of free agents, such as running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Allen Lazard, a former teammate of Rodgers from Green Bay.

Rodgers could see more than just a few shots in his Jets preseason debut against the Giants on Saturday night.

The former Super Bowl champion will play in an exhibition game for the first time since 2018, when he was with the Green Bay Packers. It will be final preparation for the Rodgers and Jets starters before the regular season opener at home on September 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

“In my younger years I enjoyed playing in the preseason,” said 39-year-old Rodgers on Tuesday. “Just to maybe take that first hit or feel the nerves on the first ride, so I’m looking forward to being there.”

Jets stars Aaron Rodgers (left) and Sauce Gardner attend a Knicks playoff game in May

Acquiring from the Packers in April, Rodgers has said all summer that he would be open to playing some preseason shots with the Jets. Coach Robert Saleh would like to see Rodgers and the offensive starters play in more than one drive.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Saleh said. “I don’t want to just throw him in there for a series and take him out. I’d like to see those guys go through a transition, go to the sideline, have some adjustments, go back to the field, play with those adjustments. So you would like to see that transition happen a few times.’

Saleh said he and Rodgers talked before deciding the quarterback would play.

“It wasn’t really a conversation with Robert,” Rodgers said. “I think he was a little more nervous. I might have said no, but I was tempted to ask him to play, so it was an easy conversation.”

Saleh thought it would be good for Rodgers to play at least a few times on his new home’s field before the season opener.

Breece Hall (20), right, warms up during joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“I just didn’t want the first time he goes out with his new team, new colors, new teammates, new stadium – he didn’t want September 11 to be the first,” Saleh said.

Rodgers has been sidelined through the Jets’ first three preseason games while Zach Wilson has started, including New York’s 13-6 loss to Tampa Bay last Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

The decision to play Rodgers before the regular season has sparked fear among some Jets fans, as they didn’t want their quarterback to get injured – especially since many had Super Bowl aspirations.

“You can’t coach scared, you can’t play scared,” Saleh said. “You can slip out of your car and something happens to you. With us it comes – knock on wood – just fine. You see the greats out there. Kansas City playing their boys, Buffalo playing their boys – it’s not uncommon.

“You can always play the hindsight game or the terrifying game, but what’s in the best interest for our team is to go out and play some football together and prepare as best we can for September 11.”

Rodgers’ previous preseason game was August 16, 2018, when he started and went 2 of 4 for 35 yards and a touchdown in his only run.

“There’s always that risk-reward,” Rodgers said of playing in the preseason. “I think over the years it just hasn’t made sense based on a number of different factors.”

Saleh said Mekhi Becton would start at right tackle against the Giants after playing 25 snaps there against the Buccaneers and performing well in his NFL debut at the position.

Jets quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, left, Zach Wilson, center, and Tim Boyle warm up

Becton found out during the team meeting on Tuesday morning that he had pulled the assignment for the preseason finals.

“I felt really comfortable where I was,” said Becton. “I felt good.”

Becton, who has missed most of the last two seasons due to knee injuries, was a left tackle to start his career, but Duane Brown is the expected starter there. After the Jets fielded a few players on the right side during training camp, Becton — healthy again, slimmer after dropping 30 pounds and confident in his surgically repaired knee — practiced there last week and played with the backups.

“He did very well in the match,” said Saleh. “He took over half the snaps, looks like he’s in much better shape, obviously, so we’re giving him a run with the right tackle. We’ll see how he is.’