NY Jets' Woody Johnson intentionally wanted worse draft pick for this bizarre reason

Why Woody, why?

Justin Fried

Woody Johnson / Elsa/GettyImages

Nobody ever claimed that NY Jets owner Woody Johnson was the wisest decision-maker. And if they did, they likely never bothered to read one of the countless stories detailing his remarkable incompetence.

The latest bombshell report from The Athletic released on Thursday goes into further detail about Johnson's arrogance and malpractice as owner of the Jets. One such story perfectly encapsulates who Johnson is.

The Jets possessed the final two picks (256 and 257) in the 2024 NFL Draft entering the event. The Denver Broncos requested the Jets send pick No. 257, or Mr. Irrelevant, in the Zach Wilson trade a few days before the draft.

Former general manager Joe Douglas was prepared to send that pick to the Broncos until Johnson stepped in and changed the terms of the deal. Johnson wanted to hold on to the last pick in the draft and instead sent the 256th overall pick to Denver.

His reasoning? He wanted to draft the next Brock Purdy.

Woody Johnson altered a NY Jets trade because he wanted to draft the next Brock Purdy

The report insists that Johnson refused to allow Douglas to trade the Mr. Irrelevant pick, partially because he wanted the fanfare and public attention that comes with the selection but also because he wanted an opportunity to draft another Purdy.

"Can you believe that? [Woody Johnson] thought he needed the Mr. Irrelevant pick to get a Brock Purdy (the final pick of the 2022 draft who has emerged as a franchise quarterback in San Francisco). I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of the NFL: A team wanted a worse pick."
Anonymous Jets source

The Jets wouldn't end up using that pick on a quarterback, instead selecting Alabama safety Jaylen Key with the No. 257 overall pick. Key failed to impress this summer and was released from the team's practice squad midseason. He was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad on Tuesday.

The Broncos used their pick to select South Carolina offensive guard Nick Gargiulo. Gargiulo has spent the entire 2024 season on the Broncos practice squad, although he's been elevated to the game-day roster three times this year.

Ultimately, this isn't going to make or break the Jets' season. There are countless other tidbits in that report — some of which we've covered on the site — that are more detrimental to the Jets' organization than this one.

But that isn't the point. Woody Johnson overruled his general manager to intentionally ensure his team had a worse draft pick, and he did it for publicity and out of a false belief that he could select the "next Brock Purdy."

This is who the Jets are dealing with as their owner. This is the individual prospective GM and head coach candidates will be forced to work under. It's embarrassing, it's dysfunctional, it's the New York Jets.

More NY Jets news and analysis:

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.