Jets owner outlines hopes for team: ‘If we can complete a pass, it would look good’

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has outlined modest ambitions for his winless team as he backed his head coach, Aaron Glenn.

The Jets are 0-7 this season and have been awful in almost every department. Speaking about the team’s play on Tuesday, Johnson said: “If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”

However, he was quick to praise Glenn, who is in his first season as an NFL head coach. “I do believe in Aaron,” Johnson said. “I’ve known Aaron since 1996 [when] I was a fan. I’ve always been a fan of him. I see the way he handles the room. If I were a player, I’d respond to him because he’s the real deal. No BS. No second agendas. What you’re hearing is the truth, and a lot of times players don’t get the truth. They get a lot of gobbledegook.”

Johnson was more withering in his assessment of the team’s struggling quarterback, Justin Fields, who was given a two-year, $40m contract in the offseason. In six games this season Fields has thrown just four touchdowns while his QBR of 31.8 puts him 31st among 33 eligible quarterbacks. Some reports say the Jets will bench Fields in favor of 36-year-old journeyman Tyrod Taylor, who has been uninspiring in his appearances this season.

“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that [Fields] has got,” Johnson said. “I mean, he has ability, but something just is not [working] … You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”

Despite the Jets’ struggles on offense, Johnson insists that he has no regrets about the team’s decision to cut Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. Rodgers has since led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the top of the AFC North with a 4-2 record.

“I never look back,” Johnson said. “You have to look forward to football. Even when you cut players, they could be a Hall of Famer. You just never know. But Aaron’s playing great now. He’s in a situation that’s working for him.”

While the Jets have tried numerous head coaches and starting quarterbacks in recent seasons one constant, except for his stint as ambassador to the United Kingdom during Donald Trump’s first term, has been Johnson’s ownership. The Jets have missed the playoffs every season since 2011, the longest drought in the NFL.