New York Jets: Woody Johnson expected to return in November 2020

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is reportedly expected to return to the team from his diplomatic role overseas in November of 2020.

The New York Jets franchise is a miserable mess of masochism right now and that all boils down to the ownership.

Sure, it’s easy to blame head coach Adam Gase or the past front offices who constructed this roster, but incompetency within an organization is often a product of incompetence at the very top. And that goes for all businesses, not just sports.

The Jets suffer from that and they have for years. And even when owner Woody Johnson took a temporary leave of absence in January of 2017 to take on the role of the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, little ultimately changed.

His brother, Christopher Johnson, assumed full-time ownership of the Jets and while he does appear to have a stronger relationship with the players than Woody did, it’s clear that the issues still remain.

That said, Christopher’s time as the owner could soon be coming to an end — perhaps as soon as November of next year.

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network has reported that Woody is expected to return as the full-time owner of the New York Jets in November of 2020, regardless of the results of the election.

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That last part is the important part as it supposedly guarantees that Johnson will return, barring unforeseen circumstances. And Woody may very well return to a franchise in a state of pure misery.

The Jets have limped their way to a 1-7 record this season and there appear to be very few reasons for optimism.

Gase has come under heavy scrutiny for his handling of the team’s offense — mainly young quarterback Sam Darnold — and when looking at the results, it’s hard to think he’s the right man for the job.

And there is still a good chance — unfortunately — that Gase is the team’s head coach upon Woody’s return from the United Kingdom. If that’s the case, it might be Woody who is tasked with the ultimate decision of firing him or retaining him at the end of next season.

Even if Gase is let go at the end of 2019, Woody will still return with a new head coach and a general manager fresh off his first offseason with the team. If things fail to improve, he will have to make some tough decisions.

Johnson purchased the team back in 2000 and has received mixed reviews, to say the least, from fans and media members alike. But it’s hard to look at the state of the team right now and think that he could do any more damage than what has already been done.

The Jets are a mess and Woody Johnson may just return in time to see this mess firsthand.