Rumors are heating up that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson may be preparing to leave his NFL team behind to join the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
There’s certainly reason to suspect this will happen because it already happened once before.
President-elect Trump has named businessman Warren A. Stephens as Ambassador to the U.K., a position previously held by Jets owner Woody Johnson during Trump’s previous administration.
Rumors have circulated about Johnson potentially joining Trump again, which could result in… pic.twitter.com/Cscb4gEx2k
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 3, 2024
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Trump is currently announcing his nominations for various cabinet positions and high-level political offices and recently announced that businessman Warren A. Stephens will take on the assignment of United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, a position that was filled by Johnson during Trump’s first administration.
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Short of the Senate refusing to confirm Stephens, it seems all but certain that Johnson will not go back to his old job. Before taking on the ambassadorship, Johnson had no diplomatic experience or history but was a noted donor to the Republican Party. Stephens has a nearly identical resume of large donations to GOP-aligned Super PACs.
However, just because the Jets owner is not being given the role of ambassador to Great Britain once again, that does not mean that he is not potentially being eyed for a position in the second Trump administration. It has been reported that Johnson was highly interested in being the ambassador to the U.K. once more, so either he is being deliberately snubbed for the job or is being prepped for an even more significant role.
If Johnson does step away from the Jets, it is all but certain that his brother Christopher Johnson will once again take over ownership duties for the the team, as he did previously.
Given that the Jets are currently without a permanent head coach (Johnson having fired Saleh following a 2-3 start and naming Jeff Ulbrich as interim head coach), Johnson would likely want to oversee the team’s search for a new coach and manage the transition process.
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Johnson purchased the Jets in 2000 for $635 million, the highest price for a New York professional sports team up until then, and has been noted for his active role in the franchise’s business, including his quest to sign quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the team in 2023, only to see him get immediately injured and off to a slow start in 2024.
The team owner has been rumored to be looking to release Rodgers from the team, but the star QB may dodge a bullet if Johnson does actually end up leaving the team for Trump once again.
For more on the Jets, head to Newsweek Sports.