FLORHAM PARK, NJ — Owner Woody Johnson believes the New York Jets are one quarterback away from ending their 12-year playoff drought, and he’s willing to shell out big bucks for a proven veteran.
“Absolutely,” he told a small group of reporters in his office at the Jets facility on Thursday. “We have a cap so there is an amount you can spend. But yes, yes. That’s kind of the missing piece.”
Zach Wilson should be a key play when he was drafted second overall in 2021, but he was benched twice in 2022 and appears to be heading towards a backup role in 2023. Despite his struggles and those on offense, “this team is loaded and ready to go,” Johnson said.
“Our defense has been an incredible story that you’ve seen this year, from bottom to top in defense in terms of anything measurable,” he said. “If you can do the same thing on offense, that looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
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Several intriguing names will be available during the off-season, from free agents (Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Lamar Jackson) to possible trade targets (Derek Carr, most notably).
The Jets have already invested a guaranteed $35 million in Wilson. The plan, according to Johnson, is to keep him, but he conceded, “Zach has had a rough year, there’s no denying that. I’m still confident that I saw some grains of real talent there. … [His] The level of trust, whatever it was, went down, so that was certainly frustrating for him. And then we had this rotation that’s very hard to do in the NFL — changing quarterbacks.
Quarterback instability (three different starters) contributed to the late-season collapse — a six-game losing streak that cost the Jets (7-10) a playoff berth and infuriated Johnson after each loss, sources said.
The fallout has begun. The Jets confirmed the departure of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, calling it a mutual farewell. In addition, offensive line coach John Benton is out. They are also looking for a wide receiver coach due to Miles Austin being suspended for a year for betting on pro sports.
Johnson claimed he didn’t force coach Robert Saleh to make the personnel changes and said he wasn’t part of the “decision tree,” but the owner admitted witnessing the offensive meltdown — no touchdowns — was “very frustrating.” in the last three games.
After two non-playoff years together, Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will be under pressure in 2023. Johnson wouldn’t say they have a playoff mandate.
“No, I don’t do mandates,” said Johnson, who has reached the postseason six times in 23 years of ownership. “We’ve waited a long time. Fifty-four years after the last Super Bowl is too long, way too long. I would like to change that quickly, but mandates don’t work.”
There was no mandate per se, but Johnson made it clear he believes the roster is ready for the playoffs, saying it includes “all these young, incredible stars.” Johnson said he’s optimistic about a turnaround in 2023, noting how the defense has turned around a year from now. In yards allowed, it went from 32nd to fourth place.
The offense finished 25th, one of the reasons they left LaFleur after two years. Saleh publicly advocated keeping LaFleur, fueling speculation that his hand was forced by Johnson.
“There are 32 owners in this league and they have every right to ask questions and challenge thought and have any discussions they want,” Saleh said. “It happens in every building. But at the end of the day, Woody gives us full autonomy in terms of decision making. And he fully supports every decision we make.”
With the quarterback situation unresolved, and with 2023 being a potential all-or-nothing year for Saleh, it could be difficult to attract top coordinator candidates. Saleh disagreed, saying they had young talent and a strong defense. He said the new coordinator will have an impact on the quarterback decision.
“We’re going to be damn aggressive when it comes to the quarterback game,” he said, “and make sure we’re doing everything we can to fulfill that position.”