Woody Johnson Denies Rumors About Jets, His Sons After 'Madden Ratings' Report

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is pushing back on rumors about his son's involvement in front office decisions.

An article from Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver of The Athletic alleged that Johnson has "included his sons in some meetings at the Jets team facilities" and that they were having "increasing involvement."

Johnson responded to this by describing the article as "unsubstantiated" and "out of context."

"I think the article is a typical smear piece — unsubstantiated," Johnson said, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. "Nobody really stood up and put their name on anything. It's absolutely untrue. Everything was out of context. When you're losing games, it gives people the artistic license to kind of do what they want."

Johnson has been the team's owner since 2000 and is currently a co-owner with his brother, Christopher. He did acknowledge his sons' presence at meetings but said it was a result of his family tradition to "teach the next generation" about their family business.

"In my family, my great grandfather took my grandfather to meetings when he was a teenager," Johnson said, per Costello. "He'd dress up in a suit and go to meetings. That's the way you teach the next generation. That's what you do. It's an apprenticeship. Does he have any decision making? Absolutely not. No decision making, despite what you might read."

The Jets had high expectations in 2024 but struggled to a 5-12 record. This extended the team's playoff drought to 14 seasons and the outlook for the future does not look solidified.

Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers just finished his age-41 season and could see his time with the franchise come to an end. The Jets will also need to find a new general manager and head coach and hope those decisions age better than the previous hirings in the playoff drought.

The Jets will enter the 2025 season with the seventh pick in the draft and several holes to fill in order to push for a playoff spot.