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Jets in familiar territory in 25th year under Woody Johnson

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Jets in familiar territory in 25th year under Woody Johnson

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Familiar position: Saturday marked Woody Johnson’s 25th anniversary as the owner of the Jets. On Jan. 11, 2000, he purchased the team from the Leon Hess estate for $635 million, which was a record for an NFL franchise at the time. Forbes recently valued the Jets at $6.9 billion — roughly 10 times Johnson’s original investment.

While the franchise has appreciated in value, some things haven’t changed.

The Jets were in turmoil when Johnson was approved to buy the team. Only days earlier, Bill Parcells had retired from coaching. He handed the baton to Bill Belichick, who refused to accept it and walked away, leaving them coach-less.

A quarter-century later, the Jets again find themselves in a state of flux, with ongoing searches for a coach and general manager. This will mark the fifth time in Johnson’s tenure that both positions are changing in the same offseason — hardly the blueprint for stability.

“Woody can’t make a good decision,” one prominent coaching agent said this week, alluding to the Jets’ checkered history.

These days, Johnson, 77, is working out of his home in Palm Beach, Florida, where he’s huddling with Jets brass to conduct in-person interviews with GM candidates. By rule, coaches on playoff teams must interview virtually through the end of the divisional round.

The Jets are casting a wide net with both searches, as they have expressed interest in no fewer than 15 external candidates for the coaching and GM jobs — both league highs (based on media reports).

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of these decisions. If Johnson hits them out of the park, he’d have a chance to flip the fortunes of the franchise, the way the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions did when they hired Dan Campbell in 2021.

Under Johnson, the Jets haven’t enjoyed much prosperity. Here’s a look at their performance since 2000:

2. Gang not-so-green: The overriding theme in the coaching search is the number of candidates with previous head-coaching experience: eight.

They are Mike Vrabel, Ron Rivera, Rex Ryan, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph and Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith.

Jets interim Jeff Ulbrich and New Orleans Saints interim Darren Rizzi also are expected to interview.

It’s a stark contrast to their 2021 search. Of the nine candidates that year, only one had been a head coach — Marvin Lewis. The Jets felt comfortable with a first timer (Robert Saleh) because they already had a GM with some experience, Joe Douglas.

This time, there’s a sense that they’d rather not hire two first-timers.

3. Time is a flat circle: Is it 2009 all over again?

That year, Ryan and Spagnuolo were among the Jets’ top candidates. The job went to Ryan, although Spagnuolo had a fan in Woody Johnson, according to a person familiar with the search.

Here we are, 16 years later, with Johnson running another search. Now, like then, he’s joined by Mike Tannenbaum, the former GM-turned-consultant.

4. O, really? Some folks familiar with the coaching market believe the Jets want to hire a coach with an offensive background. Among their known candidates, the only ones who fit that description are Nagy and Smith.

Smith is interesting because he was the runner up to Saleh in 2021. It should be noted that Johnson, wasn’t involved in that search process, as he was serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

At the same time, there are some who say Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who interviewed virtually with the Jets on Thursday, is the best fit. He’s regarded as an excellent leader and a very good tactician on defense. It also has ties to the franchise; he was a star cornerback from 1994 to 2001.

Jets officials haven’t specified what they’re looking for.

“[We need] somebody that’s a leader, somebody that doesn’t lack confidence,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said, adding that the next coach must be “ready to win.”

“You can’t come in here with this mindset, like, let’s just win a few games or let’s just win more games than last year,” Gardner said. “You have to come in here with a mentality and mindset to win it all — go to the playoffs, go to the Super Bowl. That’s just what it’s got to be. Everything that we do to lead up to that has to be right.”

5. Getting close? The Jets have conducted in-person interviews with two diverse candidates for both jobs, meaning they’re in compliance with the Rooney Rule. Therefore, they can fill either position at any time. A GM from a team in the playoffs can accept the job before their season is over if their current team provides written permission.

The Jets still have a few candidates on their interview list, but it’s conceivable that they could make a hire in the coming days. The timing would allow the new GM to participate in the selection of the coach. The coaching search will take longer because of the way the rules are structured.

6. Quick rebound: Saleh, fired after three-plus seasons, has two head-coaching interviews lined up — with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday and the Las Vegas Raiders (TBD). That he’s drawing interest after compiling a 20-36 record shows that people around the league recognize that he was hampered in New York by some tough circumstances.

He also interviewed for his old job, defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

7. Did you know? Sunday, Jan. 12, is the 56th anniversary of the greatest moment in Jets history: their 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

They haven’t been back since.

8. Package deal: Davante Adams made it sound like his future with the Jets will hinge on what Aaron Rodgers decides to do.

“I don’t know what his plans are yet and where that’s headed,” the wide receiver said, “but I would imagine that would have something to do with it.”

Adams said he could “potentially” stay with the Jets if Rodgers doesn’t return, but he didn’t sound convincing.

With 854 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games, Adams proved he’s still a WR1, but his contract demands could be a dealbreaker. His contract, which has two years, $76.7 million left (non-guaranteed), must be renegotiated. No doubt, he still wants to be paid like a top-10 receiver, which might be too rich for the Jets’ blood if they decide to extend Garrett Wilson.

9. Another Rodgers guy: Allen Lazard, another receiver who chose the Jets because of Rodgers, also has an uncertain future because of his cap charge ($13.2 million). He hopes to stay.

“The reason why I came here was to ultimately retire a Jet,” Lazard said. “I wanted to be part of something historical here and be part of the change and break the [playoff] drought.”

10. A true warrior: Linebacker C.J. Mosley, one their longest-tenured players, said he’s still recovering from the neck injury that cause him to miss the last 10 games of the season. Mosley, who will be 33 next season, said he’s not thinking about retiring or the possibility of becoming a cap casualty.

“I just worry about me getting healthy,” Mosley said.

With a $12.3 million cap charge, Mosley is vulnerable. He wouldn’t leave empty-handed; he has more than $4 million guaranteed.

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