The Big Lead

Woody Johnson reportedly cited Madden rating for nixing Jerry Jeudy trade

By Joe Lago

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson arrives for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson arrives for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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Ultimately, the blame for the New York Jets falling well short of Super Bowl expectations was going to be squarely placed on owner Woody Johnson. Details of why the team's 2024 season went so horribly wrong are starting to come out, and well, Johnson isn't looking so great in the initial fallout.

On Thursday, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver pulled back the curtain on the Jets' disastrous season, and the bombshell story's first anecdote was a recounting of how Johnson nixed a trade for then-Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because "the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in 'Madden NFL,' the popular video game, wasn’t high enough."

RELATED: Aaron Rodgers' Jets future in doubt after firing of GM Joe Douglas

The Broncos ended up dealing Jeudy to Cleveland, where he has enjoyed a breakthrough season for the Browns with his first 1,000-yard season.

The Athletic also reported that the Jeudy situation "wasn’t the only time Johnson cited 'Madden' ratings when evaluating players."

“There are organizations where it is all set up for you to win,” a former Jets player told The Athletic. “It feels completely different (with the Jets). It’s the most dysfunctional place imaginable.”

It's hard to envision Johnson being a "Madden" addict who spends hours playing online to be so well-versed in player ratings. However, he does have two teenage sons — Brick and Jack — who are in the video game-playing demographic and, according to The Athletic, seem to have a growing influence on Jets' decisions.

Said one Jets executive: "When we’re discussing things, you’ll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that’s being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has."

Jeudy, whose Madden rating has climbed from 81 to 83 over the last year, weighed in on the controversy with the perfect response on Thursday.

"I blame @ochocinco," tweeted Jeudy, referring to former NFL wideout Chad Ochocinco, who works for EA Sports as a Madden ratings adjustor.

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