Woody Johnson takes revisionist swing at Zach Wilson with Justin Fields comments

The New York Jets' decision to draft Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 will likely go down as one of the worst moves in franchise history. It set the organization back multiple years, created a revolving door at quarterback, and ultimately became a defining misstep of the Joe Douglas era.

Now, years later, Jets owner Woody Johnson is doing a bit of historical revisionism revolving around his team's newest quarterback swing, Justin Fields.

Johnson spoke to reporters at the NFL's annual league meetings last week and was complimentary of his latest QB. The Jets owner referred to Fields as a "total winner" and remarked that he has high hopes for the former Ohio State quarterback.

But he just couldn’t make it through one press conference without putting his foot in his mouth, could he? Johnson claimed he’s been “impressed with [Fields] since his college days,” before adding that “it was [Fields] or Trevor Lawrence,” in reference to the 2021 NFL Draft.

Johnson seems to be forgetting the quarterback his own team selected second overall that same year.

Woody Johnson tries to erase Zach Wilson from NY Jets history with bogus Justin Fields claim

Of course, we know what Johnson is saying isn't true. The Jets had every opportunity to select Fields with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Instead, they opted for Zach Wilson, who spent just three years with the team and didn't appear in an NFL game in 2024.

Johnson’s omission of Wilson feels far from accidental. It reads less like a slip and more like an attempt to rewrite history — one that ignores the reality of a franchise-defining misstep.

By propping up Fields in hindsight, Johnson not only glosses over the team’s decision-making in 2021, but also distances himself from the fallout that followed.

RELATED: Woody Johnson basically called his own Jets players liars with 'bogus' NFLPA comments

Johnson can't even blame his brother for this one. While Christopher Johnson may have been the man behind the infamous Adam Gase hire while his brother was serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Woody returned to the Jets in January of 2021. Wilson was drafted three months later.

Johnson can’t rewrite that part of the timeline — Wilson was his pick, and the consequences are still being felt. Meanwhile, Fields is now in New York anyway, brought in as a reclamation project after a shaky start to his own career.

Maybe Fields turns things around with the Jets. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, Johnson couldn’t resist adding a little revisionist flair to the story

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