Johnson expects his team to be better than 4-12 after spending more than $120M in free agencyGETTY IMAGES
NFL Jets Chair & CEO Christopher Johnson will not "deliver a playoffs-or-else mandate" for GM Mike Maccagnan or new coach Adam Gase, but he "clearly has elevated expectations after the team’s spending spree" during free agency, according to Brian Costello of the N.Y. POST. The Jets signed RB Le’Veon Bell, LB C.J. Mosley and WR Jamison Crowder in free agency and also traded for OG Kelechi Osemele. So, after spending more than $120M in free agency, Johnson "expects his team to be better" than its 4-12 record last season. Johnson said, "I sure as hell hope we’re a playoff team. ... I’ve said it before: I’m an impatient man. I want this team to win. I think we have a really good chance to be a quite good team this year." Johnson was asked if he thinks the Jets "can overtake the Giants" in N.Y. He said, "I’m not that worried about that. I just want to win games. All that can come. Look, if we win a Lombardi Trophy, I’ll wear it around like a crown until people are sick of me and say, 'you take that off his head'" (N.Y. POST, 3/25). In N.Y., Manish Mehta wrote the importance of Johnson’s "calming presence for a franchise mired in an eight-year playoff drought cannot be overstated." He has been "tough, but fair, making smart decisions at a delicate time for this star-crossed franchise" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/25).
WARDROBE ADJUSTMENT: The DAILY NEWS' Mehta wrote the Jets have "done a masterful job hyping the release of their new uniforms" on April 4. The organization "has fans whipped up in a lather about the new look." Johnson said, "I love the new jerseys. The players who have seen them love them. And they’re, frankly, the people who I want to please most in this process." He added, "It’s about time for us to have a new look. I think this is going to be well received. These things are pretty bad-ass" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 3/25).
