Tag: Woody Johnson

Could Saints follow Jets’ example with an unprecedented move at head coach?

The Jets broke 25 years of precedent by firing head coach Robert Saleh midseason. Could the Saints make a similar bold move?

The New York Jets broke 25 years of precedent by firing head coach Robert Saleh midseason. Unsatisfied with his team’s 2-3 start and Saleh’s 20-36 record, team owner Woody Johnson chose to act boldly and go in a new direction just five games into the 2024 season. It remains to be seen how much input Aaron Rodgers had on the move given all of the Jets’ kowtowing to his demands over the last year, but this was big news in the NFL  either way.

Could the New Orleans Saints make a similar bold move? Gayle Benson has only hired one coach after inheriting the team from her late husband Tom Benson, who never fired a coach during the season since buying the team in 1985. But Dennis Allen’s position isn’t much different than Saleh’s was before the Jets took action.

Just like the Jets, the Saints are 2-3 right now. Allen has gone 18-21 through three seasons as head coach, which admittedly isn’t as low a winning percentage (.462) as Saleh (.357), even if it is on the wrong side of .500. But how much more losing can the Saints take? They’re coming off their third straight loss.

Every week Allen is slumping at the podium talking about how his team has gotten outplayed and outcoached, and how they’ve made too many mistakes that cost them big opportunities. There’s nothing insightful about that and it raises the question of whether Allen knows how to fix these problems. Allen is supposed to be known for the strength of his defense but they’re getting carved up by has-beens like Kareem Hunt (102 rushing yards, his most since 2020) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (130 receiving yards, his most since the 2020 Wild Card Round). Every week there’s a new tight end streaking through the secondary with a neon sign around his neck showing that he’s open.

He still hasn’t figured out how to compete with good teams. The Saints have lost so many games in the same ways these last three years that they’ve started to run together. Something needs to change, and fast. And it might need to start at the top of the organization.

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Statement from Jets owner Woody Johnson on Robert Saleh’s firing

Statement from Jets owner Woody Johnson on Robert Saleh’s firing

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has broken his silence.

The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh following a 2-3 start to the 2024 NFL season. In his tenure, Saleh notched a 20-36 overall record as the team’s bench boss.

Saleh’s firing came as a shock considering the team’s record, it only being five games into the season and losing by close calls in each of their past two outings.

Most recently, New York lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 23-17, out in London in Week 5.

Following the team’s decision, Johnson released this statement:

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Watch: Jets make call as they draft WR Malachi Corley

See the Jets making the call of a lifetime to Malachi Corley

Owner Woody Johnson and company were sweating, but in the end, the wait was worth it. The Jets got their guy in Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley.

The Jets reportedly were trying to move into the second round but couldn’t find a team to bite. When Corley slipped into third round, the Jets knew their time to strike had arrived. They made the call to the Carolina Panthers, offered a 5th-round pick and were to move from No. 72 to No. 65 to grab their guy.

It was Malachi Corley, no matter what, as head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas texted each other.

Now, you can check out the team making the call to Corley to let him know he is officially a member of the New York Jets.

Woody Johnson denies report of heated argument with Robert Saleh

Woody Johnson strongly denied any report of a heated argument with Robert Saleh at the annual league meeting

Jets owner Woody Johnson took to Twitter/X Thursday to deny recent reports that he and head coach Robert Saleh had a heated argument during the Annual League Meeting in Orlando.

Earlier in the week, NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe reported that Johnson and Saleh got into a “very heated argument” and things got “awkward”.

“I will say, from a very reliable source at the owners meetings, there was a very heated conversation between Woody and Robert Saleh, to the point where it was a little awkward,” Wolfe said Tuesday. (H/T CBS Sports)

Johnson is now telling fans to disregard that report, sharing the following message on Twitter.

SNY’s Connor Hughes also reported Wednesday night there was no such verbal argument between the two sides.

Johnson more or less gave Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas a “playoffs or bust” ultimatum for this season without actually coming right out and saying that.

All that said, the hopes of the Jets having a quiet offseason, while always unlikely, have quickly dashed yet again. Between Aaron Rodgers almost becoming a vice presidential candidate to Johnson first saying the Jets didn’t have a backup quarterback to walking those comments back and calling Zach Wilson a “valuable asset”. Now they have this to add to their plate. Just another typical offseason in Florham Park.

Woody Johnson calls Zach Wilson ‘valuable asset’, will keep QB if no trade

Woody Johnson had a little change of heart when it comes to quarterback Zach Wilson.

The saga surrounding the New York Jets and a potential trade of quarterback Zach Wilson took another interesting turn Monday from the mouth of owner Woody Johnson.

Speaking to reporters at the Annual League Meeting in Orlando, Johnson was asked about Wilson and called him a “valuable asset”. Johnson did also note that a change of scenery could benefit Wilson but said the team will keep Wilson if they cannot find a trade partner. They will not straight release him. “If we don’t trade him, we will keep him,” Johnson said. The Jets get no cap relief from cutting Wilson. Trading him would shift his $5.5 million in 2024 compensation to the acquiring team, unless the Jets agree to take on some of the money themselves.

Johnson’s comments are him essentially walking back his comments last month at the NFL Honors about Wilson in which he said the Jets “didn’t have a backup quarterback last year.” The comes as the options of teams for the Jets to trade Wilson to are dwindling fast.

Among the moves made involving likely backup quarterbacks include the Arizona Cardinals trading for Desmond Ridder from the Atlanta Falcons and Mitch Trubisky going back to the Buffalo Bills after a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who now have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Via ESPN’s Rich Cimini:

“I feel badly about Zach in some ways because last year it would’ve been a great — it would’ve been the first time he could just sit back and watch a master at work, and he’s never had that,” Johnson said. “He’s been in the fire from Day 1, and I think that’s what he needs. He needs to be in a place where he can observe for a while. He’s got the skill. He can do everything. There’s a reason we drafted him No. 2 overall, and I have confidence that he’ll get there at some point.”

The Jets are still expected to tinker with the quarterback room, perhaps taking one on the third day of the draft in April. The team signed Tyrod Taylor to back up Aaron Rodgers this season. General manager Joe Douglas also said during the Scouting Combine he has given Wilson’s representation permission to seek a trade.

Douglas also said Monday in Orlando there have been talks with teams regarding Wilson but “nothing is close”.

Robert Saleh to concentrate more on offense in effort to help fix issues

Robert Saleh to concentrate more on offense in effort to help fix issues

Jets owner Woody Johnson said before the NFL Honors that head coach Robert Saleh will concentrate more on offense to help fix the issues on that side of the ball.

“We’ve got a lot to fix, and so this year we’re gonna fix it,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said Thursday, via CBS Sports. “We’re going to get where we have to be. … Disappointment doesn’t nearly cover it. We work for the fans, and we want to do a good job for the fans. To see them disappointed like this the way we had everything going is very frustrating. Very difficult. Hard to take. … These games are very hard to take.”

Saleh let offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett take the reigns of the offense in 2023, but playcalling became a major question throughout the season following the Week 1 Achilles injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the Jets tailored their offense to Rodgers throughout the offseason.

Johnson believes this will help Saleh become a better head coach while also showing plenty of faith in defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

“He is going to be a lot better head coach,” Johnson said of Saleh, via CBS. “One thing about head coaches is you get better as you get more experience. He is going to concentrate on offense. He has Jeff to do the defense. We have good special teams. It’s offense, offense, offense. Get the quarterback moving. Get the line moving. Work on the run and do all that you have to do to win. You can’t do one thing you have to do it all. It’s not just one player.”

It’s not just one player but the Jets did all they could to rally around one player. Now, it’s about getting the entire offense up and running after a season that saw one of the worst offensive outputs of any team in recent memory, leading to a second straight 7-10 season and another top-ten pick in the upcoming draft.

Johnson all but put the Jets and Saleh on full notice at the NFL Honors. He wouldn’t come out and say he’s making a true playoff mandate, but he came about as close as he could to doing so. Now Johnson adds this, more or less saying Hackett isn’t cutting it on his own and needs help. How Saleh helps navigate the offense with Rodgers at the helm will be fascinating to watch.

Giants’ John Mara, Jets’ Woody Johnson regularly discuss installing grass field

Jets owner Woody Johnson says he and New York Giants co-owner John Mara regularly discuss installing a grass field at MetLife Stadium.

The world learned this week that the 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium and that grass will be installed to meet the requirements of a FIFA venue.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 14 years since it opened in 2010.

Now they will have to switch to a natural surface, an idea that has been bandied about between the owners of the Giants and Jets for quite some time now.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters covering the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this week that he and Giants owner John Mara discuss installing a grass field “at least once a week,” per NJ Advance Media.

Johnson added that grass could be a challenge, because the stadium hosts so many events — and because two NFL teams share the open-air venue until at least late December or early January, when the regular season ends. And everyone knows what New Jersey’s weather can be like then.

Grass is not optimal at MetLife, one of the most popular venues in North America because of both logistics and the expense.

As stated, the Northern New Jersey weather would literally put a damper on the effort, which is one of the reasons the teams opted for an artificial surface to begin with.

With two NFL teams playing on the surface — possibly on back-to-back days — and all of the other events that take place at the venue (soccer, college football, concerts, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.) it would be a severe challenge to care for a grass surface year-round.

A grass surface at MetLife full-time might end up being more unsafe than the current one they have in place.

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Jets owner Woody Johnson says Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas will return in 2024

Jets owner says Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas will return

The hot seat isn’t going to be on for New York Jets GM Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh.

Team owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post on Sunday that both will return in 2024.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview before Sunday’s game with the Commanders. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.

… “Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson said as a reason why he wants Douglas and Saleh back. “Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better.”

Woody Johnson confirms Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas to return in 2024

Jets owner Woody Johnson confirmed to the New York Post Sunday Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas will return in 2024

Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas are getting one more year in New York. Jets owner Woody Johnson confirmed to Brian Costello of the New York Post that both Saleh and Douglas will remain in their roles for the 2024 season.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson told the Post Sunday. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”

This has been the expectation for a few weeks now as the team felt they wanted a true chance with this current regime and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suffered an Achilles injury four plays into his debut on September 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

The Jets are set to start their fourth quarterback this season as Trevor Siemian will fill in for an injured Zach Wilson (concussion). Tim Boyle also started two games for the Jets.

“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson also told the Post. “Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better.”

The Jets pushed all their chips for Rodgers during the offseason and he has already made it clear he is coming back next season. He also gave Saleh, Douglas and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett a public endorsement last week while talking with Pat McAfee.

The Jets will once again be under a bright spotlight with a healthy Rodgers. Expectations will likely be extremely high once again. It’s setting up to be quite the make-or-break year for everyone involved. No regime will likely be on a hotter seat than Saleh and Douglas.

Report: No indication Jets owner Woody Johnson makes changes after season

Report: No indication Jets owner Woody Johnson makes changes after season

The Jets may be running it back in 2024 with head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there are no indications Jets owner Woody Johnson will make a change at those positions heading into 2024.

This was starting to feel like the expected outcome. The Jets pushed all in for Aaron Rodgers and had him for all of four plays in the 2023 season. They started building this team and coaching staff around him, namely offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets at least want to see that through so Johnson is likely to give Saleh and Douglas a fair shot with Rodgers at the helm.

Rodgers gave Saleh, Douglas and Hackett a public endorsement during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show and said he hopes all come back next season as the team looks to reload, not rebuild.

“I believe in the leadership that we have here,” Rodgers said on Tuesday. “I believe in our guys. It’s not a situation where we have to rebuild. We need to reload a little bit and there’ll be some tough decisions. I like the pieces that we have in place.”

Rodgers added: “I believe in Joe Douglas. I think he’s put together a lot of great drafts and a great roster. I believe in Robert Saleh. I think he’s a fantastic coach. He’s about the right stuff. I believe in Nate Hackett. I always have. The offense that he runs is quarterback friendly.”

Hackett helped run the Green Bay offense that allowed Rodgers to win back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021. However, it was head coach Matt LaFleur who called the plays.

2024 will be the ultimate make-or-break season for the Jets. Saleh and company are likely getting one more chance. But one could argue no head coach’s seat will be hotter than Saleh’s entering next season.