The New York Jets have taken the NFL lead in the drama category.
While Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with too much sun inside AT&T Stadium and a falling roof, the Jets are trying to claim first place for franchise dysfunction.
‘Gang Green’ abruptly fired Joe Douglas as general manager on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the league.
That big move followed the even more dramatic firing of Robert Saleh as head coach.
But Douglas getting sacked and Saleh receiving an early-season axe — one year after the Jets were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders — pales in comparison to a revealing story about New York’s front office.
Jets chairman Woody Johnson, whose net worth is estimated at $8.7 billion, wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers after a 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, according to multiple reports.
“Aaron, get those bags packed,” one fan tweeted. “He not gonna want you back next season.”
“What a pantomime this season has become,” a second fan posted. “All stems from the top and a fish always rots from the head. Gonna be completely toxic for the rest of the season. Get the Popcorn, as it’s gonna get nasty.”
“The Jets can’t help themselves out of a paper bag,” a third fan wrote. “Top to bottom. What a mess.”
“Aaron gonna make Woody sell the team now,” a fourth fan said.
It’s long been theorized that the 40-year-old Rodgers holds major influence on the Jets’ roster and coaching decisions.
New York has added several of Rodgers’ former teammates, including ex-Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams in a midseason trade.
Rodgers was a huge hit when he first joined the Jets[/caption]
A warm hug from billionaire owner Woody Johnson greeted Rodgers in New York[/caption]
Rodgers also battled in public and through the media with Saleh, and the latter was coldly axed before the midway point of the 2024 campaign.
When Douglas was fired on Tuesday, it was clear that the Jets were starting to clean house while questions mounted about Rodgers’ future with the franchise — and if the four-time MVP would retire from the NFL.
But Johnson wanting to bench Rodgers, who signed a $112 million contract and was part of a blockbuster 2023 trade with the Packers, is a massive new development for a team that has been engulfed by drama for years.
“During the meeting, Johnson suggested to the coaches that they bench Aaron Rodgers in favor of Tyrod Taylor because he felt Rodgers’ performance was holding the team back,” The Athletic reported.
“The coaches and Douglas, stunned at the suggestion, talked him out of it.”
Johnson would have had to sign off on Rodgers joining the Jets in the first place.
Taking the ball out of Rodgers’ hands after Week 4 — when Rodgers had only played five games for New York, following a 2023 season lost to injury — would represent an admission by Johnson that the entire trade was a total franchise failure.
It would also confirm many fans’ belief that Johnson, like Jones with the Cowboys, meddles too much in football affairs but ultimately holds the team back on the field.
Politics also complicates the Rodgers-Johnson dynamic.
Rodgers has been outspoken about his political beliefs and was considered as a potential vice president for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the build up to the 2024 United States presidential election, which was eventually won by Donald Trump.
Johnson is an heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company, which was involved in the vaccine response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mr. Pfizer said he didn’t think he would be in vax war with me. This ain’t a war, homie. This is just conversation,” Rodgers previously said about the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.
“But if you want to have some sort of duel, debate, have me on the podcast, come on the show, let us have a conversation.”
As for the Jets’ tense internal battle, it’s becoming painfully clear that Johnson is not happy with the state of the 3-8 team, which is already on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs.
Rodgers may not be long for New York, now that an expected future Hall of Famer woke up on Wednesday morning to learn that the Jets’ billionaire owner wanted to bench him when that topic wasn’t being discussed by anyone in the media.
Rodgers was highly critical of the Jets last season when rumors leaked about former QB Zach Wilson.
“It’s chicken*** at its core, and I think it has no place in a winning organization,” Rodgers said.
Now it’s time for Rodgers to respond to leaks about himself in the national media, and another big Jets firing.
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