Did the New York Jets back out of a trade for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy last season over the player’s rating in a video game?
As reported by The Athletic, since-fired Jets general manager Joe Douglas was interested in dealing for the former Denver Broncos first-round pick in February of 2023. Over the course of weeks, Douglas found himself deep into negotiations with Denver general manager George Paton, only for those talks to break down for a very surprising reason.
Douglas reportedly told the Broncos he couldn’t make the trade because embattled Jets owner Woody Johnson was concerned about Jeudy’s player rating in the popular football video game, Madden. The Broncos ultimately dealt Jeudy to Cleveland, where he recorded the first 1,000-yard season of his career and recently delivered a 235-yard effort against his former team.
And the allegations don’t end there for the struggling 4-10 Jets. Johnson similarly had reservations about signing free-agent guard John Simpson in the offseason because of his poor ‘awareness’ rating in Madden. Only this time, Johnson’s concerns didn’t prevent Douglas from signing Simpson, who is now a solid starter for the team.
The problem, according to The Athletic’s sources, is Johnson’s increasing reliance on his teenage sons, Brick and Jack. To many inside the organization, the owner’s references to the video game appeared to a sign of their growing influence over their father.
‘When we’re discussing things, you’ll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that’s being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has,’ one Jets executive told The Athletic.
Jets owner Woody Johnson, his wife, Suzanne Ircha Johnson, and his sons, Jack and Brick
A New York Jets fan wears a paper bag during a game in Arizona on November 10
And according to people inside the room, Douglas once complained: ‘I answer to a teenager.’
Douglas was fired after five seasons with the Jets last month after Johnson previously dismissed head coach Robert Saleh and replaced him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on an interim basis.
Now the struggling Jets are just 4-10 and facing another offseason makeover nearly two years after the celebrated acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers – a deal that was supposed to spark a renaissance for Gang Green.
‘There are organizations where it is all set up for you to win,’ one of the last year’s Jets players told The Athletic. ‘It feels completely different [with the Jets]. It’s the most dysfunctional place imaginable.’
Executives feel the same way, according to the report.
‘There’s no nice way to say what we need to say, which is: Unless we drastically alter our culture and the way we do things from the top down, we have no chance,’ one executive added.
‘There’s not a comfortable environment where you can speak your mind and try to address things that could improve the situation. You have to tiptoe around it.’
The New York Jets fired general manager Joe Douglas last month amid another bad season
Aaron Rodgers may be the next to leave the Big Apple after a difficult tenure with the Jets
A 77-year-old pharma heir now on his second marriage, Johnson was sidelined from 2017 until 2020 while serving as Donald Trump’s hand-picked ambassador to the United Kingdom. But upon his return to the team facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, Johnson focused his full attention on the struggling franchise that currently has the longest playoff drought in major American sports.
But despite the fact that he’s no longer serving in the US State Department, the Trump donor and outspoken supporter of the president-elect is still reportedly referred to as ‘Mr. Ambassador’ in Florham Park.
‘I guess that’s what you’d call him,’ one assistant coach told The Athletic. ‘I’d never been around royalty before.’
Jets spokespeople have pushed back against The Athletic’s reporting, arguing that Johnson’s teenage sons do not have any influence over him.
‘It is used as a reference point; it is not determinative,’ a spokesperson told The Athletic to explain Johnson’s occasional mentions of his children in team meetings. ‘It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad. It’s ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives.
‘[The sons] have no roles in the organization,’ the spokesperson continued. ‘It’s completely ridiculous to suggest that any outside info is intended to replace the opinions of [Woody Johnson’s] staff.’
Jerry Jeudy has shined in Cleveland after nearly being dealt to the Jets in a 2023 trade
Another issue, according to the piece, is the Johnson family’s habit of bringing friends and family into the locker room – a semi-private space for players and coaches to many around the league.
What’s more, Johnson, his wife, Suzanne Ircha Johnson, and his sons have been accused of criticizing Jets players within the locker room.
When a frustrated quarterback tossed his helmet after a loss in 2022, Johnson reportedly said: ‘You should throw your helmet, you f***ing suck.’
Johnson’s sons were also heard criticizing Jets players after a Week 17 loss last season.
And following Ulbrich’s first victory in October, before the interim head coach could be awarded a game ball by Rodgers, Brick Johnson awarded a game ball to receiver Garrett Wilson in a profanity-laced speech.
‘It was the most awkward, cringe-worthy, brutal experience,’ one player told The Athletic.
A product of prestigious Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, Brick is entering his first season on Harvard’s tennis team.
Johnson was first married to former fashion model Nancy Sale Johnson, with whom he had three children before divorcing in 2001. Their daughter, Casey, died of diabetic ketoacidosis in 2010.
