NY Jets owner Woody Johnson won't be returning to UK in ambassador role

The NY Jets will enter the offseason with a plan to bring in a new head coach, new general manager, and most likely a new quarterback. They might not add a new owner to that list, however.

Rumors have swirled over the last month that team owner Woody Johnson could return to his previous role as the United Kingdom Ambassador under President-elect Donald Trump in 2025. As it turns out, that won't be the case.

President Trump announced on Monday that Warren A. Stephens will receive the assignment, ending any speculation that Johnson could return to his previous position. Johnson won't be returning to the UK, but that doesn't mean he will remain the Jets' owner.

It's still very possible that Johnson will leave the Jets to serve under Trump in a different capacity. He won't be assuming the same role, but he might still leave to take a different position.

Woody Johnson could still leave the NY Jets this offseason

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is reporting that "some in league circles believed Johnson hoped to go back to the position he held in the initial Trump administration." Now that that's no longer an option, it could impact his chances of leaving.

If Johnson were to leave, he would hand power over to his brother, Christopher, who served as the acting owner of the Jets during his brother's initial stint under Trump. The younger Johnson oversaw the hirings of Adam Gase, Joe Douglas, and eventually Robert Saleh before Woody returned to the States.

The 2025 offseason will be a pivotal one for the Jets organization. The team will hire a new head coach and GM in the same offseason for the first time since 2015, and the pressure has never been greater to get it right.

The Jets are in the midst of arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history. The Jets entered 2024 with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations following Aaron Rodgers' return from injury. Instead, they sit at 3-9 through 13 weeks and are staring at a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Jets have already enlisted the help of The 33rd Team, specifically former NFL GMs Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, to aid in their search for a new regime. Both Woody and Christopher Johnson are expected to be involved in that search as well.

That is, of course, if Woody Johnson is still around come January. As of right now, it seems as though he will be.

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