Getty New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in 2016.
If there’s one thing New York Jets fans generally agree on, it’s that Woody Johnson and his family should sell the franchise.
This has been a popular request for some time but the numbers behind this movement have grown even more over the past year or two because of the New York Mets. During his second season as the new owner, Steve Cohen has turned the Wilpon operation into a legitimate World Series contender.
Of course, baseball has no salary cap so money does go a long way, but people are interested in more than a large payroll. Fans want competence and passion — something they don’t always see in owners like the Johnsons or the Wilpons.
Unfortunately, there has been very little traction on a Jets sale… until today.
Mike Francesa Teases Potential Jets Ownership Change
During his new show, “The Mike Francesa Podcast,” long-time sports-talk radio giant Mike Francesa dropped a bomb regarding a potential Jets ownership change while speaking with former general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
“The question is — I’ve been hearing rumblings that [the Jets] franchise could be sold in the next couple of years, from people who should know things,” Francesa voiced to Tannenbaum. “You buy into that at all — you think they’re getting tired with the process — or you think that’s nonsense?”
It was an odd unsubstantiated rumor for Francesa to drop in the form of a question, but if there’s one thing the WFAN legend still has, it’s connections. Having said that, Tannenbaum didn’t exactly bite on the piece of information.
“I would think it’s probably nonsense,” the ex-NYJ GM replied. “Candidly, I don’t know. It would just be speculation [on my part] but I know when I was there [that] they were always committed to the organization.”
Francesa later cut in that he “can’t see why anybody would sell [an NFL] franchise because there’s so much money to be made,” before adding that the Johnsons don’t need money.
Woody Johnson Looking to Sell Jets, Fact or Fiction?
Francesa’s track record has taken a few hits over the years but there’s no guarantee that this claim is false. The Jets have been the laughing stock of the NFL for the past decade and the Johnsons could be wondering if all this baggage is worth it.
After all, that last part from Francesa is definitely true — the Johnsons do not need to profit off the organization, their pharmaceutical company does just fine on its own.
Earlier this spring, Woody Johnson actually submitted a bid to purchase top-tier English Premier League club, Chelsea, which is based out of London. That started some chatter on whether or not the football owner would consider relocating the franchise to the United Kingdom — considering he seemed to enjoy living there while serving as the U.S. ambassador.
It also brought about some fan theories that Johnson could be looking to sell the team and move back overseas. Neither had any factual backing at the time, although they do provide some fuel for Francesa’s latest fire.
A Jets ownership change would be welcomed by most, if not all of the fanbase. There is one factor to consider, however.
If the Johnsons ever did sell, the new owner would most likely clean house on the entire operation — unless Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh were to create a consistent winner in New York. That could mean more short-term pain in an attempt to find long-term success.