:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(718x290:720x292)/jennifer-lopez-unstoppable-010725-bac40166f05b459aa7d25333179aa9ca.jpg "Jennifer Lopez’s Unstoppable Premiere Canceled amid Pacific Palisades Fire")
A short time before the end of the 2024 season, Jets owner Woody Johnson already had his eyes on 2025.
In an exclusive interview with The Post just before the Jets faced the Dolphins on Sunday, Johnson expressed confidence in his and the organization’s ability to find the right general manager and head coach to turn the team around.
“What we’re doing right now can be transformative and will be transformative,” Johnson said. “I think our process of making the change when we did was the right time and place. We knew exactly what was going to happen with the regime that was in. I felt really comfortable doing that.”
Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 with the team at 2-3, a move he said he does not regret. He then fired GM Joe Douglas on Nov. 19 and the team started its search process for their replacements.
The Jets finished the 2024 season 5-12 after Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. The team’s playoff drought is now at 14 years. Johnson knows Jets fans are frustrated, but said he has a clear vision of what he wants for 2025 and beyond.
“I want to have a team they can be proud of,” Johnson said. “I want to be great on the field. I want to be great off the field. I want them to be absolutely proud for them to wear ‘Jets’ front and back everywhere they go. That’s what we’re trying to do. I’m pretty positive we can do it.
“It’s about leadership. It’s about commitment to running a football operation. It’s a football operation. It’s a football team. You need the right kind of people. You need the right kind of leadership. You need coaches who are teachers and accountability and they have to run it like a successful team.”
Johnson called this season, “sad and disappointing.” He felt this was the most talented roster the Jets have had since he became owner in 2000. With Aaron Rodgers returning from his Achilles injury and a core of young stars like Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall, expectations were high for the 2024 Jets. But the team consistently found ways to lose close games and struggled to develop any kind of identity.
The Jets were 2-3 when Johnson decided to fire Saleh, who was 20-36 early in his fourth season. Johnson named defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim coach, hoping the season would turn. Instead, the Jets lost seven of their next eight games and missed the playoffs again.
Johnson was asked if he regrets firing Saleh when he did.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I was very, very sure that I was making the right decision. I didn’t do it to spark or anything like that. I didn’t do it for that reason. I just knew everything that I needed to know about that situation.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was supposed to elevate the Jets into Super Bowl contenders but his two years here have been a disappointment due to injuries and ineffective play. As for a third season, Johnson said that decision will be up to the new GM and coach.
“From a numbers standpoint, he did OK, except for the most important number — winning games,” Johnson said. “But that’s going to be up to the coach. The coach will have to decide what the quarterback situation is. That’s going to be a very important job for the general manager and the coach — what do we want and when do we get it and what’s our timeline. Where does Aaron Rodgers fit into that?”
The Jets have been heavily criticized and many believe the team needs a culture change. Johnson said he feels while the Jets had talent, they never came together as a team this season.
“At the beginning of the season, I said this is from a talent standpoint this is one of the best teams I’ve ever had,” Johnson said. “Obviously, the networks and everybody agreed with that. But they didn’t play together maybe. It takes more than having great players. You’ve got to have a great team. That’s a coach and a general manager and a staff, everybody. If that’s culture then I would say, yes, we need that culture.”
The Jets have hired The 33rd Team, led by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman, to assist them in their search. Johnson praised their contributions already. Johnson said he is “fully involved” in the search and is involved in every interview, something he has not done in every search in the past.
“This is the first time I’ve been through it to this extent for a long time,” Johnson said. “Much more hands on in terms of getting really involved in the interview process.”
While coaches and GMs have come and gone during the Jets’ 14-year drought, Johnson has been one constant, other than the four years he spent as Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017-21. Many fans have pointed to Johnson as the problem.
“I feel very responsible,” Johnson said when asked how much blame he bears for the struggles. “I was out of the country for a little while, but I’m responsible for everything. That’s why I think based on my experience that I think we put a process together that I hope and expect will give the fans of the team something to really be proud of and once again when they look at the organization they’ll say, ‘Yeah, I’m a Jets fan.’ They’ve got to be proud of it.”
