Report Wildly Claims Jets' Owner Woody Johnson Nixed Trade For Jerry Jeudy Due To His 'Madden' Rating

If you thought that the New York Jets couldn't possibly be more dysfunctional, think again, because apparently, team owner Woody Johnson scouts potential trade candidates by taking their ‘Madden’ ratings into serious consideration.

The keyword there is apparently.

During this past offseason, the Jets were in the market for a wide receiver to give Aaron Rodgers another weapon. Jerry Jeudy, a former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, was a name many teams, including the Jets, were reportedly interested in. 

According to a new report from The Athletic,  then-New York general manager Joe Douglas and Denver counterpart George Paton were "deep in negotiations" for a trade that would send Jeudy to the Jets. Paton felt that a deal "was near," until it fell through, which is where Johnson and video games enter the equation.

"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in "Madden NFL," the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources" the report states verbatim.

It's worth mentioning that Douglas was fired as the Jets' general manager in November. The Athletic using anonymous sources and tying Douglas, a likely very disgruntled former employee, an essentially portraying him as a whistleblower over Johnson's dependency on ‘Madden’ is interesting, and feels a little too convenient.

The report also alleges that Johnson nixing the Jeudy trade based on his ‘Madden’ rating isn't the first time he's elected to do so. Johnson reportedly pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster "awareness" rating in ‘Madden,’ yet the Jets signed him anyway.

Woody Johnson bases some of his trade analysis on 'Madden' ratings, according to a new report. Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

With it being the Jets, nothing is off the table, but it's entirely possible Johnson and any thoughts or comments he's made about ‘Madden’ were completely in jest.

Jeudy was ultimately traded to the Cleveland Browns and inked a three-year deal with the franchise. He's been an incredibly impactful player for a mediocre Browns team hauling in 70 catches for 1,052 yards already this season. The Jets do not have a receiver on the roster who has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season, although Garrett Wilson should get there with 933 yards to his name.

The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago and will miss out on the postseason for the 14th straight year, giving the franchise the longest playoff-less streak among every team in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA.