On Tuesday, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas. While some thought that Aaron Rodgers played a part in Douglas’ dismissal, the latest report from The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini has shed light on how dysfunctional the Jets franchise is.
As per the story, Johnson urged Douglas and the team’s coaches to bench Rodgers after the Jets’ 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4. This was a big surprise for everyone as, at the time, the AFC East franchise was 2-2 and didn’t look like a bad team. Moreover, Rodgers was getting better every week, and the coaches initially thought that the Jets owner wasn’t serious with his suggestion.
Fans React to Woody Johnson’s Approach to Aaron Rodgers’ Bad Form
At the time, the team’s coaches convinced Johnson not to bench the four-time NFL MVP. That laid the foundations for head coach Robert Saleh’s firing and Douglas’ job loss.
Per Russini’s story, the Jets owner has been involved in the team’s decision-making to a much greater extent than anyone could have thought of. Johnson is the one who wasn’t willing to offer a contract to Haason Reddick, overpaid in the trade for Davante Adams, and rejected the opportunity to trade for Jerry Jeudy.
Fans on social media were stunned after knowing that Johnson wanted the team to bench Rodgers after just four games into the season.
This is my favorite sports drama of all time
— A prince from Kings 🇬🇾🇺🇸 (@rko_cjay) November 20, 2024
“So Aaron was the reason Saleh got fired, but for the completely opposite reason. Not because he didn’t wanna cater to Rodgers, but because he didn’t wanna bench him,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “It’s Woody; it has always been Woody, and everyone around the league knows it. No hope for the franchise until he sells.”
Sheesh it’s getting ugly over there https://t.co/GeOfVloENF
— KDG 🧀🦌 (@Official414) November 20, 2024
“How do you let Rodgers control your whole franchise for 2 years and then have the urge to bench him…” questioned one fan.
“This guy makes Dan Snyder look good,” said another fan about the Jets owner.
Jets fans are 🙏🏼 Trump names Woody an ambassador to ANY country so long as he can’t run the #Jets. https://t.co/4MRxGjmbmv
— Alex T. Eaton (@alexteaton) November 20, 2024
The report from The Athletic also mentioned that Johnson played a big role in New York signing free agents Tyron Smith and Mike Williams. The Jets’ owner’s “preoccupation with social media” factored into the team signing them.
Johnson also reportedly wanted Jets players to practice during their bye week, which, for obvious reasons, did not go over well with some of them.
Rodgers Is Likely To Leave Jets After This Season
So far, the general assumption was that Rodgers played a role in the team getting rid of its head coach and the general manager. Now that we know more about the situation, all signs point to the future Hall of Famer getting released by the franchise after this year.
Rodgers has a good relationship with Douglas and New York’s interim head coach, Jeff Ulbrich. He vouched for the latter for the permanent head coach role, but it was to no avail. Douglas has already been fired, and Ulbrich is expected to leave the team after the ongoing season.
After this season, the Jets will have a new head coach and general manager and will likely start from scratch by drafting a new quarterback. New York will have to take a cap hit of $50 million if they release Rodgers, but it will be manageable if they have a rookie QB starting.
The Jets are 3-8, and a season in which they had the most talented team in the franchise’s history has turned out to be a complete disaster both on and off the field.