Jets fans torch Woody Johnson for reportedly wanting Aaron Rodgers benched - "Sell the team"

The New York Jets' continued stretch of awfulness this season is already the stuff of legend. But in the wake of General Manager Joe Douglas' firing, a new revelation has revealed the extent to which Woody Johnson forced himself on the franchise.

The Athletic's Zack Blatt reported in an article with NFL insider Dianna Russini that the Jets' owner, Woody Johnson, among other things, had seemingly developed buyer's remorse towards Aaron Rodgers, wanting to have him benched just five games into the current season.

There was much anger from fans online, who shared their thoughts on X/Twitter:

More reactions soon followed from fans on X:

"This is what happens when non football owners start making decisions," one warned.

"What a joke of a franchise," another jeered.

"I feel bad for jets fans...", another lamented.

The Jets (3-8) are currently on a bye week and will return on Dec. 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.

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Woody Johnson meddled with Jets throughout the year and it has backfired

As it turns out, suggesting to bench Aaron Rodgers would not be the only instance of direct medding that Woody Johnson would do in 2024. The same article also reported that head coach Robert Saleh had been fired without prior consultation, all but sealing Joe Douglas’ fate.

But it was not just limited to the coaching - he also prevented Douglas from replacing Chad Alexander, who had left for the Los Angeles Chargers, then forced him to fire assistant and friend Rex Hogan. After the move, Douglas reportedly told his staff:

“Woody should just fire me now.”

Johnson also had a major involvement in the Jets’ player transactions, First, he refused a trade with the Denver Broncos that would have given them Jerry Jeudy in exchange for Allen Lazard and a Day 2 pick. Jeudy was instead sent to the Cleveland Browns for two Day 3 picks and received a three-year extension.

He also pushed for the signings of wide receiver Mike Williams, who underperformed and was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers; and offensive tackle Tyron Smith, who has struggled to stay healthy and play well.

At the same time, he declined to extend pass-rushers Bryce Huff, who eventually joined the Philadelphia Eagles; and Haason Reddick, who staged a lengthy holdout after being acquired via trade.

Later that season, Johnson, against his coaching staff’s wishes, announced that he was benching safety Tony Adams, who had been establishing himself as one of the league’s more prolific tacklers among defensive backs. He was also the one who pushed for the highly-hyped Davante Adams trade, thinking that it would resolve the team’s offensive woes - which has proven not to be the case.