Having already fired their head coach and general manager in the midst of a season that has fallen well short of expectations and may end with the retirement of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the departure of star wideout Garrett Wilson via trade, the New York Jets are somewhat of a team in turmoil.
Based on a new report from The Athletic about owner New York owner Woody Johnson, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the first Donald Trump administration but was passed over for banker Warren Stephens this time around, it's not too hard to see why that's the case.
Per a report from the publication based on interviews with multiple team and league sources, Johnson killed a trade to acquire wide receiver Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos last offseason after he looked at the 25-year-old's player rating in the "Madden NFL" video game.
Now a member of the Cleveland Browns, Jeudy (who roasted the Broncos in his return to Denver earlier this year), snagged 11-of-14 targets for 108 yards in a loss on Sunday and is now boasting a 70-1,052-four line across 14 games this season.
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Star wideout Davante Adams, who the Jets did trade for this season with the blessing of Johnson, has 67 catches for 860 yards and six touchdowns this season.
According to The Athletic, Johnson also cited "Madden" ratings while opposing the signing of free-agent offensive lineman John Simpson during the offseason because of the guard's "awareness" rating in the video game. In that instance, Johnson was ignored, Simpson was signed, and he has had a solid season.
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The most concerning portion of the report is that Johnson's deference to the video game ratings is because his teenage sons Brick and Jack are "Madden" players.
"When we're discussing things, you'll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that's being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department a has," Jets executive told The Athletic.
It's that sort of thinking that's dropped a team that had Super Bowl aspirations at the start of the season to the dregs of the AFC at 4-10 with three games left to go and an American sport's worst playoff drought of 14 seasons set to continue in the 2025 campaign.
For more on the Jets, head to Newsweek Sports.
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