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Rich Cimini
PALM BEACH, Fla. — New York Jets chairman Woody Johnson, the only owner to receive an F grade in the NFL Players Association annual team report card, dismissed the findings Monday, calling the survey “totally bogus.”
Johnson said he values his relationships with the players and their opinions, but he questioned the integrity of the poll. Asked what was bogus about it, he replied, “The whole thing.”
In the latest survey, 1,695 players graded their respective teams in various categories. The results were released Feb. 26. The NFLPA was critical of the Jets’ top leadership and culture.
Johnson, speaking to reporters at the annual league meeting, took issue with “how they collected the information [and] who they collected it from. [It] was supposed to be according to the agreement we have with the league. It’s supposed to be a process [where] we have representatives, and they have representatives, so we know that it’s an honest survey.
“And that was violated, in my opinion. I’m going to leave it at that, but I think there are a lot of owners that looked at that survey and said this is not fair, it’s not balanced, it’s not every player, it’s not even representative of the players.”
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The Jets’ overall ranking, based on grades in 11 categories, was 29th — a drop from 21st in 2023.
“We want to get better every day in every category,” Johnson said. “We want to be No. 1 in everything. All of our people do. … If there are areas we can improve — and I think there are always areas we can improve, not because of this bogus report — we’re going to do it.”
The NFLPA, on its website, explains the methodology, saying it used research experts from an independent group to provide guidance on best practices for conducting the survey. It was administered from Aug. 26 to Nov. 20, 2024, and was done online and anonymously. Every rostered player at the time of the survey was provided access to the poll.
Though he disputed the results, Johnson said he will try to create better communication with the players. The longtime owner, heavily criticized by fans and media for the team’s bitterly disappointing 2024 season, said in a January interview that he will try to improve.
“If [the players] are getting bored with the food or bored with the way the place looks, let me know,” he said. “I can’t do anything if they don’t tell me, so I think we’re going to have a lot better communication with the players in terms of what they’re looking at every day. Because if I was looking at the same thing every day, I might get bored with it, too.”
Johnson said he doesn’t believe the unflattering report card is impacting the team’s ability to attract free agents. He emphasized that “the essence of the game is the players. That’s what it’s all about. Anything we can do to make their lives and their families better, we’re going to do.”
The NFLPA declined to comment on Johnson’s remarks.
The Jets missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year, a dysfunctional season that saw Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas fired as the coach and general manager, respectively. Another casualty was quarterback
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Mike Reiss
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs says he took just one free agent visit — to the New England Patriots — before officially signing his three-year contract with the team Friday.
“I was considering a couple other places, but that’s all in the past now,” Diggs said at Gillette Stadium.
Diggs’ contract is worth $69 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which is the range the wide receiver said he expected in terms of average per season, in part because he is coming off a torn ACL in his right knee sustained Oct. 27 while playing for the Houston Texans.
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“I kind of figured [the contract] was going to be around that area, considering I’m coming off the injury, but also the fact that I’m one of the only receivers that had six 1,000-yard seasons consecutively [before the injury],” he said. “The production, it’s always been here. I can move the chains. I can do intermediate. I can go deep. I did that all throughout my career. My résumé probably speaks for itself, but it was more so the injury that would deter or make the money is what it is.
“I look at it definitely as an opportunity. What could’ve been, could’ve been. At this point I am where I am, and I’m thankful.”
Diggs, 31, was introduced by the team Friday and was joined by his mother, Stephanie, who sat in the front row as he answered questions from reporters.
He stopped short of setting a timetable for when he will be ready to practice but sounded encouraged with how his knee has responded.
“I’m ahead of schedule. I’m trying to stay ahead of schedule,” he said. “I’ve been pretty serious about the grind process, as far as the rehab and everything.”
Diggs said he has had only brief contact with second-year quarterback
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Alaina Getzenberg
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Bills continued their philosophy and offseason trend of signing their own draft picks to long-term extensions, agreeing to terms with cornerback Christian Benford on a four-year, $76 million contract extension, his agents, Hadley Engelhard and Jim Ulrich of EnterSports Management, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday.
Benford, 24, was entering the final year of his rookie deal and now will be under contract through the 2029 season. The agreement is the latest in the Bills’ prioritizing retaining players who have developed into starters before they become free agents — “draft, develop and re-sign,” as general manager Brandon Beane says.
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The sixth-round pick out of Villanova becomes the third member of the Bills’ 2022 draft class to sign a four-year extension this offseason, joining wide receiver Khalil Shakir and linebacker Terrel Bernard. The Bills have also signed defensive end Greg Rousseau (four years) and quarterback Josh Allen (six years) to extensions this offseason.
“Love Christian and excited he’ll be back this season, and we’ll see if It works out now, later, down the road, to keep him here,” Beane said earlier this month. “Which, again, you know by what I’ve always said, we want to draft, develop, and re-sign our own, and so excited that it will be here this year, especially knowing … we’re thin at the position right now.”
Benford has been a clear starter for the team over the past two seasons — he started five games as the Bills worked out the starting situation in his rookie year. He then took a step forward in 2024 and has developed into the team’s No. 1 outside cornerback. Benford has 34 regular-season starts in three seasons and has posted 5 interceptions, 25 passes defensed and 4 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The average annual value of the new deal on its own puts Benford’s average annual value tied for 13th among cornerbacks.
Signing Benford in part addresses the team’s biggest position of need at outside cornerback for the future. However, there is no clear starter opposite Benford on the roster with the draft less than a month away after Rasul Douglas became a free agent this offseason. In terms of depth at the position, the team traded 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys this month and brought back Dane Jackson.
The remaining question mark among the possible extension candidates for the Bills is 2022 second-round pick running back James Cook.
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Rich Cimini
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Continuing to rebuild their wide receiving corps, the New York Jets signed well-traveled veteran Josh Reynolds to a one-year contract Thursday.
Reynolds, 30, will receive $2.75 million in guarantees, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He’s another experienced target for presumptive quarterback Justin Fields, but the Jets aren’t done yet at receiver. They need another playmaker to complement Garrett Wilson and likely will draft a wideout.
Wilson and Allen Lazard are the only holdovers with more than 27 career receptions, and there’s a good chance Lazard will be jettisoned as a post-June 1 release that would create $11 million in cap savings. They’ve already cut one key component from the group — Davante Adams, who was released before free agency in a cap-related move and later signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
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Reynolds is like Lazard, 29, in that he’s a big receiver (6-foot-3), and their career numbers are almost identical — 233 receptions and 3,127 yards for Reynolds, 229 receptions and 3,077 yards for Lazard. The Jets recently gave Lazard permission to seek a trade — a sign they’re prepared to move on from him.
