The New York Jets’ offense hasn’t left the tarmac and team owner Woody Johnson wasn’t shy about giving a reason for that.
At the NFL owners meetings in New York City, Johnson spoke about the state of the struggling Jets – who remain the only winless team in the league at 0-7. The owner was asked about his confidence level in Aaron Glenn’s ability to turn things around.
Johnson believes that Glenn is fixing parts of the team, but didn’t hold back when discussing the quarterback problem brought on by Justin Fields’ shortcomings through seven games.
‘It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we’ve got,’ Johnson said, via Newsday’s Tom Rock. ‘He’s got the ability, but something is not jibing.
‘If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results.’
Johnson’s faith in the Jets’ potential turnaround is rooted in the defense and special teams units, with the owner pointing out that the passing game is what’s missing.
‘If we could just complete a pass, it would look good,’ Johnson added. ‘You gotta convince them that you could do something. Otherwise it’s hard to have a game that you could win.’
Regardless, he still has hope for the future – indicating that the struggles come down to the offense right now.
“The offense is just not clicking,’ Johnson said. ‘You can’t run the ball if you can’t pass the ball.’
Glenn and the coaching staff opted to bench Fields in Week 7, turning to Tyrod Taylor to begin the second half against the Carolina Panthers. The Jets’ offense failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game and was routinely booed off the field at MetLife Stadium.
Fields was given a vote of confidence from his coach ahead of his most recent outing, but that was short-lived as the pressure mounted.
His average depth of target checks in at 7.4 yards per pass, which ranks 32nd amongst 41 starting quarterbacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
More notably, Fields’ biggest issue is hanging onto the ball for too long.
The quarterback is taking an average of 3.13 seconds to throw, the fourth-longest for starting quarterbacks in 2025, per PFF.
Johnson noted that the quarterback decision is entirely Glenn’s. ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that the coach is leaning towards giving the keys to Taylor going forward, but Glenn hasn’t announced his plans yet.
The Jets are spiraling towards another top pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, while staring at a playoff drought that will almost certainly span 15 seasons – the longest in the four major American pro sports.
They burned it down after last season, cleaning house and bringing in some new players along with a new regime. The restless fanbase still remains, however, with patience having run out after 14 seasons of losing.
A quarterback change may be on the horizon in New York, but the Jets’ issues are much deeper than being able to complete a pass.