Even though he’s not involved with the day-to-day operations anymore, no matter how things turn out, the results of the 2024 Jets are directly linked to Woody Johnson taking the UK Ambassadorship in 2017.
Jets 2024 Results Lie Squarely in 2017 UK Ambassadorship
On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States. After becoming the President, Jets owner Woody Johnson was named United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and he took on that UK Ambassadorship. It was then revealed that his brother, Christopher Johnson, took over the day-to-day operations of the franchise, and many fans rejoiced at the fact that Woody was gone, albeit for a short time.
The Jets are in a win-now situation in 2024, and it can be traced back to that one decision. One that should make Christopher Johnson either a hero or a villain, depending on the results this season.
The Decision
Then, in 2019, the decision had to be made. After the 2018 season, should the Jets let both the GM and the head coach go, or just one of them? Johnson chose to keep Maccagnan and fire Todd Bowles. This allowed Maccagnan to be the one to hire the next head coach.
Maccagnan chose to hire former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase. This was a hiring universally disliked across Jets circles.
Following the 2019 NFL Draft, Gase pulled a powerplay with Johnson and got Maccgnan fired. This led to the hiring of Joe Douglas.
Statement from Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson on Mike Maccagnan. pic.twitter.com/cHWNJzExLp
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 15, 2019
After the awful 2019 season, Douglas should’ve fired Gase. He didn’t, though, and it was either due to the owner saying he wasn’t permitted or he was loyal to Gase for getting him the job. Either way, the Jets had to suffer through one more season of Adam Gase. Following a 2-14 season, the Jets let Gase go, and Douglas hired then-49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to be his head coach. That was a hiring most people thought was a good one.
Since that time, Douglas has earned a reputation for being good at the free agency part of the offseason and trades. That said, the draft hasn’t been that great. He and Saleh have struck out there a bunch. However, they do have some hits.
The Jets started by improving from 2-14 in 2020 to 4-13 with Saleh in 2021. Finally, having 7-10 seasons in each of the last two.
Where we are now
After swinging and missing on a quarterback in the NFL Draft, the Jets went out and traded for Aaron Rodgers. He was injured in 2023, though.
The Jets were put in a situation where they needed to add veterans to the roster because of the misses in the draft. As a result, the 2024 season is a win-now season. They’re relying on risky moves with veterans who are coming off injuries in 2023 and two of them have a lengthy history with injuries. The Jets swung for the fences. If it doesn’t work, they will be looking for a new GM and head coach in 2025.
In the end, the decision by Christopher Johnson to keep Maccagnan has had a drastic ripple effect on the organization. The results of the 2024 season will determine Johsnon’s fate. If the Jets reach their goal, he should be praised for the decision. If not, he should be blamed. Either way, a lot of the results of 2024 lie at the feet of Christopher Johnson. and are the results of Woody’s UK Ambassadorship.
Main Photo: [Gary A. Vasquez] – USA Today Sports
