New York Jets owner Woody Johnson retakes the helm

“I would like to thank my brother, Christopher, for leading the organization while I was away,” the elder Johnson tweeted. “His dedication and thoughtfulness has set us up for future success and I’m looking forward to working closely together.”

Johnson has owned the Jets since January 2000—around the time the entire Bill Belichick saga unfolded—but he left in early 2017 to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Younger brother Christopher served as the CEO and chairman in his stead.

Last week during Robert Saleh‘s introductory press conference, Christopher mentioned that Woody was en route back to the country. He also laid down the structural setup upon his official arrival, as both men will be involved moving forward.

“Actually, interestingly, perhaps he’s on a plane right now coming back to the States,” Christopher said. “I think he lands in another few hours. When he is officially principal owner, we aren’t exactly sure—that something has to run through the league, but he will be assuming his duties essentially as principal owner quite soon. He will be chairman, I’m going to be vice chairman, I’m going to be doing an awful lot of the day-to-day stuff (but) all the final decisions will be his.”

Since Woody’s departure, the Jets have put forth 5-11, 4-12, 7-9 and 2-14 seasons. It began under the Mike Maccagnan-Todd Bowles partnership and has turned into the Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh show.

Credit Christopher for taking on a challenge that may have been quite foreign to him at the time. Ultimately, the way things look as of this moment, he brought in the right people to lead on the football side of the organization’s operations.