The NFL Jets' power structure is "in flux in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's announcement Thursday" that team Owner Woody Johnson will "be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom," according to Manish Mehta of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Johnson "won't have to give up ownership, but he will cede day-to-day control of the Jets as he heads to London for the three-year appointment." He will also likely "have to resign from the NFL's Finance Committee, Business Ventures Committee and Media Committee." A family member will "take over daily responsibilities." Johnson also "has the option of bringing in a senior executive/advisor to help manage football operations." Pro Football Talk recently reported that Johnson's brother, Christopher Wold Johnson, "would assume day-to-day responsibilities." The Johnson Company Exec VP & General Counsel Ira Akselrad, who has "sat in on general manager interviews in the past, could be involved in an advisory capacity as well." Although Johnson "reaffirmed his faith" in the GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles earlier this month, it is "no secret that his head coach's future is not guaranteed" beyond '17. Johnson will "have to make a decision whether to give Bowles, who signed a four-year deal, an extension or part ways after next season." It would be "highly unusual" for Bowles to coach '18 "as a lame duck." Steelers Chair Dan Rooney "was the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland for the Obama Administration" from '09-12. Rooney "ceded day-to-day control to his son, Art Rooney II, who had assumed a significant role in the organization prior to the appointment" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/20). In New Jersey, Koloff & Vasquez note Johnson was the national finance chair for Jeb Bush's run in the Republican presidential primary, but after Bush ended his candidacy, Johnson "endorsed Trump, serving as the candidate's fundraiser and adviser" (Bergen RECORD, 1/20).
