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New York Jets owner Woody Johnson denied a report that he and head coach Robert Saleh had a "very heated conversation" during the NFL Annual Meetings in Orlando, Florida, earlier this week in a post shared on his X account Thursday (March 28).
"All this nonsense about a heated argument between Coach Saleh and me at the league meeting is absolutely false," Johnson wrote. "It is yet another irresponsible report from NFL Network. Please disregard."
On Wednesday (March 27), NFL Network anchor Colleen Wolfe said she heard from a "very reliable source" that the Jets owner and head coach got into an alleged dispute during the cocktail reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Monday (March 25) night, but didn't provide additional details.
Johnson confirmed that Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas would return for the 2024 season during an exclusive interview with the New York Post prior to the team's Week 17 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson said at the time. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”
The Jets finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record, missing the postseason for the 13th consecutive year. New York had high expectations entering the 2023 NFL season after acquiring four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury four plays into the season.
Former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson struggled in Rodgers' absence and the Jets were forced to start their fourth quarterback, Trevor Siemian, late in the season.
The 2024 season will be decisive for the Saleh-Douglas regime with Rodgers, 40, claiming he'll be ready to return from injury.
“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson told the Post while addressing his decision to bring back Saleh and Douglas in 2024. “Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better.”