New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has responded to reports that he had a “very heated conversation” with head coach Robert Saleh at the NFL’s annual league meetings
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has rubbished reports that he and the franchise’s head coach, Robert Saleh, had a heated argument earlier this week.
Reports suggested that Johnson and Saleh were at odds at the NFL ‘s annual league meetings in Orlando, Florida, which the 76-year-old has fiercely denied on social media. NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe reported the alleged dispute on the “Around the NFL” podcast, claiming to have heard from a “very reliable source.”
“All this nonsense about a heated argument between Coach Saleh and me at the league meeting is absolutely false,” Johnson said on X. “It is yet another irresponsible report from NFL Network. Please disregard.”
Wolfe then took to social media to issue her own statement regarding the story. She wrote: “Regarding my comments surrounding the Jets on the @AroundTheNFL podcast: no, I was not at the Annual Meeting and yes, I was told of the exchange between head coach Robert Saleh & Woody Johnson by someone in attendance.
“Others on-site Sunday night have since reached out and described the interaction differently. My intent wasn’t to break news, I leave that to the insiders. My sincerest apologies to the Jets organization for the unnecessary distraction during such a crucial part of their offseason.”
The relationship between the two Jets figures has been under scrutiny, especially following the disappointing 2023 season. The Jets’ playoff hopes were dashed early on when quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury that ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Zach Wilson, the second overall NFL Draft pick from 2021, struggled to impress and has been made available for a trade away from the franchise this offseason. “The discussions I’ve had in the last couple of months, they’ve seen me about as mad as I can be with what was going on, with the offense particularly,” Johnson said, admitting his frustrations, reports the Mirror US.
“We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly. So I think they all got the message. This is it. This is the time to go. We’ve got to produce this year.”
Saleh addressed Johnson’s comments and despite the tone, he accepted the Jets owners’ opinion as valuable. “Woody provides a lot of good insight, he really does,” Saleh conceded.
“Regardless of what the tone may or may not be, the important thing is the message, and he’s delivered a lot of really thoughtful, good messages that have helped us progress, especially during this offseason. It’ll help us during the season. So, his words are always welcome. He’s the owner of the football team and his frustrations are shared with everyone.”
The hope for 2024 is that Rodgers can stay fit enough to fire the Jets to the postseason for the first time in well over a decade. Their last playoff appearance was in 2010.
“I think we’ll have more than a modicum of offense,” Johnson said ahead of 2024. “We have a good receiver in Mike Williams. We’ve got Garrett Wilson, he’s probably the best receiver in the league. Great running back. We’re going to have a good line.
“We’ll have a quarterback that’s going to be on his feet. All you have to do with Aaron is tell the receiver to count to 10, put your hands out here (demonstrates with his hands) look around and the ball will be in your hands. That’s what happens.”
