REPORT: Woody Johnson is preventing NY Jets from trading Zach Wilson

Is Woody Johnson intervening again?

Justin Fried

Woody Johnson / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets are in the process of trying to find a trade partner for quarterback Zach Wilson. The assumption has been that Wilson's contract and spotty track record have made it next to impossible to find a team willing to take a chance on the former No. 2 overall pick.

There might be more to that story, however.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported on Monday that the Jets have actually received multiple trade offers for Wilson. Florio reports that the Jets are "waiting for something better."

While it's unclear what offers the Jets have received to this point, Florio insists that the team doesn't like the offers they've gotten. There seems to be another factor at play too: Woody Johnson.

Florio is reporting that some believe Jets owner Woody Johnson "is the person keeping [a Wilson trade] from happening." That part of the report isn't confirmed, but it appears to be the prevailing thought around the league, at least according to Florio.

Is Woody Johnson preventing the NY Jets from trading Zach Wilson?

Of course, there's no way of knowing what is or isn't fiction regarding the Johnson part of this story. Florio's assertion that the Jets have received multiple trade offers, however, is notable.

The widespread belief to this point is that the Jets have not been able to find any suitors for Wilson in a trade. Part of this is due to Wilson's historical ineptitude over the last three seasons, but the other part of it is contract-related.

Any team that trades for Wilson would be required to pay him a guaranteed $5.5 million in 2024. That's a sizable chunk of money for a backup quarterback, let alone someone who would likely be fighting for a third-string job.

It's hard to imagine any team considering Wilson to be a viable backup quarterback option next season. Why would a team trade assets and pay a large sum of money for a third-string quarterback?

That's especially true given the still very possible scenario that the Jets simply opt to release Wilson. Why trade any assets for a player you might be able to sign for a fraction of the price in the near future?

If it is true that the Jets have received trade offers for Wilson, it's hard to believe they're holding out for a better offer — unless said trade offers include the Jets trading draft picks of their own or eating most (if not all) of Wilson's contract.

And, needless to say, if the part about Woody Johnson intervening to prevent Joe Douglas from trading Wilson is accurate, the Jets might be in more trouble than most realize.

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.