Woody Johnson aims to be 'a better owner' after Jets' overhaul

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is putting the onus on turning around his club's fortunes squarely on his shoulders after the disappointments of 2024.

"Absolutely, I have to look in the mirror, and I have to be a better owner," Johnson told reporters Monday, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. "And I'm trying to be better."

The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start last year. It marked the first time in Johnson's 25 years of ownership that he relieved a coach in the middle of a season. New York completed its regime change by dismissing general manager Joe Douglas six weeks later.

The Jets finished with a 5-12 record, missing the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was unable to rally the team and went 3-9.

Johnson, who called the Jets' 2024 roster the best he's ever had, influenced some of the personnel decisions, sources told Cimini. This caused a ripple effect that frustrated the front office and coaching staff.

Johnson, 77, downplayed his role in those decisions after dysfunction within the franchise was reported by The Athletic in December, including how he leaned on his teenage sons for advice about how to run the team.

He dismissed the report as "hyperbole" and was reluctant to specify the extent of his involvement in changes within the organization.

"You really have to take all that stuff with a grain of salt because you don't know how much, nobody knows how involved I was," Johnson said Monday.

A renewed sense of optimism was ushered in this month after Aaron Glenn was hired as head coach alongside general manager Darren Mougey. Johnson also said he plans to let his new hires make decisions about the roster, including the fate of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.