Fortune took a look at the business backgrounds of the NFL owners and ranked Woody Johnson seventeenth in the aspects of being a businessperson.
Johnson’s great-grandfather founded the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson so he’s never been wanting for money.
He’s also a friend of President Donald Trump, who named the New York Jets owner as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom this summer (his brother has taken over day-to-day operation of the team). That appointment required Johnson to submit financial disclosures to the government that revealed a net worth of roughly $4.2 billion, according to Bloomberg.
A large chunk of that fortune comes from the Jets, which Johnson bought for $635 million in 2000. The NFL team’s value is now estimated at $2.75 billion, though the NFL team’s recent run of futility hasn’t made Johnson any more popular with Jets fans. The Jets are worth an estimated $550 million less than the Giants despite sharing the same lucrative market and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which is one of the highest-grossing stadiums in the world.
If Woody Johnson wasn’t a business person, he would’ve never bought the New York Jets but this purchase was just another investment to add to his portfolio. I can say this because the team would’ve fared better over the years if he was a spending-type of owner. Little does he know, if the team won a couple of Super Bowls while he was at the helm, his investment would be worth even more than it is today.
Billionaires normally make these type of investments due to their net worth value and have some type of long-term plan for their purchase. I’ve seen this from other wealthy business people with other types of businesses, too.
So far, it looks like his brother Christopher has already made a stand on the 2017 season saying; the team is not tanking. This basically says to me that the team wants to produce wins and they have already won one game and have a shot going 3-2 (playing the Jaguars and Browns next) after five games. Just remember, the NFL is a week-to-week thing. That would be a big accomplishment for the team.
If Christopher has a different mindset (and he seems like he does) than his brother, as far as the Jets team is concerned, he could be what the fans have wanted for a long time now. Maybe one day he will find himself as the number one businessperson on this list.
Business Side of Owning NY Jets 