Woody Johnson made ‘absurd’ Aaron Rodgers suggestion that left Jets coaches stunned in ‘contentious meeting’
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has made a stunning suggestion in recent weeks about the future of Aaron Rodgers’ role with the team, according to a report.
Johnson is said to have had an increasingly heavy hand in running the franchise in the weeks leading up to the firing of general manager Joe Douglas.
Douglas was sent packing on Tuesday, just a month after head coach Robert Saleh was also fired amid yet another miserable season.
But the problem had long been in the Jets’ backrooms, with Johnson, the former ambassador to the United Kingdom, reportedly increasing the pressure and even trying to take the reins himself, the newspaper said. The Athletics.
In fact, the embattled franchise was in such disarray that Johnson called then-head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, then-defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer into a “controversial meeting” after Week 4 to express himself lay.
It was at this emergency summit, which took place the day after New York’s 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos on September 29, that Johnson made an absurd suggestion about quarterback Rodgers.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson (R) reportedly wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers (L).
The owner suggested the four-time MVP, whom the Jets acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Packers a year earlier, be moved in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor.
Johnson was seemingly unimpressed with Rodgers’ on-field performances, believing they were holding the team back.
‘The coaches and Douglas, baffled by the suggestion, took him out and convinced Johnson to stay the course and that benching Rodgers, with his pedigree, four games into the season would not sit well in the dressing room ‘, reports The Athletic. .
“The coaches also felt it would embarrass Rodgers. The idea of benching the future Hall of Famer sounded so absurd that one coach asked if the owner was serious; multiple sources from that meeting believed so.”
Although Johnson was talked out of the suggestion that day, no one could stop him from pulling the trigger just a week later when he fired head coach Saleh without reportedly consulting his general manager.
And it was Douglas who was next in the firing line as he was given his marching orders on Tuesday, midway through his sixth season with the franchise.
Douglas was the man responsible for engineering the Rodgers trade last season. In total, the Jets received Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers’ 2023 first-round pick (selecting linebacker Will McDonald IV) and their 2023 fifth-round pick.
In return, the Packers received the Jets’ 2023 first-round pick (used to take pass rusher Lukas Van Ness), their 2023 second-round pick (used to take tight end Luke Musgrave), and their pick for the 2023 sixth round pick (used on kicker Anders Carlson).
General Manager Joe Douglas was fired the same season the Jets let go of head coach Robert Saleh (left)
The Packers also received a conditional second-round pick in 2024, which they moved to the New Orleans Saints in a trade of second-rounders (the Saints drafted cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, the Packers took linebacker Edgerrin Cooper).
Rodgers was injured four times in the 2023 season and so far in 2024 has failed to live up to the expectations Jets fans placed on him — even after Jets management went to great lengths to appease the Super Bowl winner by acquiring wide receivers he had previously worked with.
With Douglas out, Rodgers’ fate in New York would be in doubt.
According to multiple reports, Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets could end after just two seasons.
An internal source said this ESPN’s rich Cimini that it is highly unlikely that Jets owner Woody Johnson will bring back the former Super Bowl winner in 2025.
“The Jets have dropped seven of their past eight games in what should have been a win-now season under Rodgers, whose future is bleak,” Cimini wrote after Douglas’ firing on Tuesday.
“One source said he would be ‘shocked’ if Johnson brings Rodgers back in 2025.”
There are doubts about Rodgers’ fate. There are reports that the Jets are ready to move on
The insider added that Rodgers’ cap hit of $23.5 million in 2025 is not guaranteed.
Another report from SNY claimed that the Jets’ players had already “checked out” and many were “just ready [the season] ‘to be over’ before also suggesting that Rodgers is not expected to play for MetLife again next season.
‘There are still seven weeks to go this season. It will give the Jets an edge in another rebuild. They are looking for a new general manager. They will be looking for a new coach,” SNY’s Connor J Hughes reported.
Sources told SNY that the team also prefers to move on from Aaron Rodgers. However, those are the easy decisions. Filling those gaps is a much bigger challenge.”