The New York Jets were one of the teams that were linked to Jerry Jeudy before the wide receiver was traded to the Cleveland Browns during the offseason, but Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly nixed the deal. You will never guess why.
According to a story that was published on Thursday by Zach Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Mike Silver of The Athletic, Johnson did not want the Jets to acquire Jeudy from the Denver Broncos because the 77-year-old was unimpressed with Jeudy’s player rating in the “Madden NFL” video game.
Johnson reportedly felt that Jeudy’s “Madden” rating was not high enough to justify the asking price in a trade. Apparently that was not the first time Johnson took “Madden” ratings into consideration, either.
Sources told The Athletic that Johnson’s teenage sons, Brick and Jack, influence their father’s decisions and are the ones who keep Woody in the “Madden” loop. Johnson is also said to have been skeptical about signing free-agent guard John Simpson because of Simpson’s poor “awareness” rating in the video game.
The story highlights several other ways in which Johnson has allegedly allowed his sons to contribute to the dysfunction on 1 Jets Drive. Brick and Jack reportedly have access to the Jets’ locker room and have been heard talking negatively about players. Former general manager Joe Douglas made a comment last offseason about how he has to “answer to a teenager,” according to The Athletic.
Jeudy has been one of the lone bright spots for the Browns this season. He has 70 catches for 1,052 yards, which is better production than he had in four years with Denver.
A previous report claimed Douglas wanted to trade for Jeudy but Johnson stepped in, though no specific reason was given at the time. Jeudy had a noteworthy response to that report.
