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The New York Jets (1–7) are once again on pace for a disappointing season, but they made waves around the league during Tuesday’s trade deadline with several blockbuster moves. New York traded superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell. Shortly after, they sent defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and DT Mazi Smith. Despite these moves, the Jets—and particularly longtime owner Woody Johnson—have also been in the news after former Jets quarterback Jordan Travis revealed some personal comments Johnson made during his time with the organization. Travis, a Heisman finalist in his final season at Florida State, suffered a gruesome leg injury just before the postseason, which ended both his season, and ultimately his career. Drafted by the Jets in the fifth round, Travis spent over a year attempting a full recovery but ultimately retired in April 2025. According to Travis, during a recent episode of his podcast "Travis Takes Two," Johnson allegedly made a very insensitive remark about his injury. “I gotta tell you, that guy, no disrespect, but there were things said to me—not obviously to that point because I never got on the field to play—but about my leg,” Travis said. “Just slick comments. I don’t know if he was trying to be slick about it. You know how some older people, they just say whatever comes to their mind, and it kind of made me feel a certain type of way. “‘You ever gonna get healthy?’ And I’m just like, ‘Damn.’ Not like, ‘How you feeling?’ Never that — it was always comments like that. It kind of upset me, but it kind of rolled over my head.” More NFL: Chargers Trade for Joe Alt Replacement in Last Seconds of Trade Deadline More NFL: Jets’ Blockbuster Trades Bring Heavy Backlash for Browns Travis’ revelation adds further context to past incidents involving Johnson, including one reported by The Athletic, in which Johnson reportedly told former QB Mike White, “You should throw your helmet, you [explicit] suck,” after White tossed his helmet to the ground in frustration following a loss. Johnson has long been criticized for his inability to build a winning culture and assemble a competitive team in New York. The Jets haven’t won a playoff game since 2011 and haven’t claimed a Super Bowl since 1969. Johnson has been with the organization since 2000, and over those 25 seasons, the Jets have consistently been one of the worst teams in the NFL on a year-to-year basis. These comments from Travis come shortly after Johnson, once again, publicly called out his current quarterback, Justin Fields, prior to his’ stellar performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, back when the Jets were still winless. “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got,” Johnson said about Fields. “If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”
