New York Jets owner blocked trade with the Broncos over a player’s Madden rating

WTF?! Despite a star-studded roster, the New York Jets has seen its season unraveling amid reports of widespread disenchantment among players and coaching staff alike. A new report adds more fuel to the fire, claiming that owner Woody Johnson nixed an off-season trade for star Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy simply because his Madden rating wasn’t high enough.

Denver eventually traded Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, who locked him in with a 3-year, $58 million extension. Jeudy went on to become a 1,000-yard receiver as a Brown, while the Jets are having a disastrous season, slumping to 4-10 after 14 weeks. Johnson blamed Head Coach Robert Saleh and General Manager Joe Douglas for the poor showing and have since been fired.

Anonymous sources told The Athletic that the Jeudy fiasco wasn’t even the first time that Johnson cited Madden ratings to evaluate players. He had previously argued against signing guard John Simpson due to his low “Awareness” rating in Madden. However, the coaching staff had the last laugh that time around. The team signed the free agent in the off-season, and he has performed well for the Jets this year.

Some insiders believe that Johnson’s teenage sons Brick and Jack are the reason why he puts so much weight on video game ratings. According to one unidentified Jets executive, Johnson has even admitted in team meetings that he bases some of his ideas on what his sons read online. Needless to say, experienced professionals in the team are frustrated that the teens’ ill-informed opinions hold as much weight within the organization as their expert judgment.

Johnson’s ineptitude was also on full display in September when he suggested benching future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to get the season back on track. Thankfully, the coaching staff and team officials convinced him otherwise. However, A Jets spokesperson claimed Johnson’s suggestion was “in jest” to test everyone’s reaction.

Another Jets spokesperson pushed back against the notion that Johnson was using Madden ratings to evaluate players. The video game ratings are “a reference point” and “not determinative” in player acquisitions. Any suggestion that Johnson used Madden ratings to override the opinion of experienced executives is “ridiculous,” the spokesperson said, adding that Johnson’s teen children have “no roles in the organization.”