Dan Le Batard labels Jets owner Woody Johnson a ‘clown,’ accuses billionaire of treating $6,900,000,000 franchise as a ‘toy’
The saying goes 'All the roads lead to Rome,' but in the NFL it might as well say 'All the headlines lead to the New York Jets.' There have been very few weeks when the Jets have been out of the headlines, between losing streaks, crashing out of the playoffs, firing their head coach in the middle of the season and then firing the general manager a few weeks later.
This week, the headlines are all about the Jets' billionaire owner Woody Johnson, officially the 388th-richest man in America with a net worth of $3.4 billion. A bombshell report from The Athletic's Dianna Russini revealed eye-opening details about Johnson's way of running the franchise. One part of that report claimed that Johnson vetoed a trade for Jerry Jeudy after being left unimpressed with his Madden rating. That report soon went viral, prompting a pretty strong response from Dan Le Batard.
On the Pablo Torre Finds Out show, Batard unleashed a fiery rant against Johnson saying:
“This thing is a toy to Woody Johnson–while he lives in the shadows–I think most of us know to be a clown. Not just because of Jets ownership. Most of the details we know about Woody Johnson are not flattering to Woody Johnson.”
Batard also sounded off on Johnson getting his kids' input to make decisions at the franchise. Earlier this year, Dianna Russini also reported that Johnson suggested benching Aaron Rodgers in an effort to get a reaction from the rest of the locker room.
Johnson, however, has overseen the Jets' rise as the fifth-most-valuable NFL franchise. Forbes estimates the franchise is worth $6.9 billion in 2024.
Woody Johnson's Jets staring at massive overhaul in 2025
The Jets have two, potentially three major uncertain factors heading into 2025. They currently do not have a general manager or a head coach. Aaron Rodgers' future under center is also murky at best.
For what it's worth, Rodgers has made it known he would be open to taking a pay cut and staying with the franchise. The four-time NFL MVP also told reporters he would mentor "the hell" out of a rookie QB if the Jets choose to go down that road in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show last month, Rodgers was a little more non-committal, saying:
"There's uncertainty with everybody on the staff, so I'm not naive to what the situation is. If a new GM comes in and they don't retain Brick [Jeff Ulbrich], I have to fit in those plans."
He added that his first option would still be to play with the Jets in 2025.