New York Jets owner Woody Johnson sparked the imaginations of fans with a tweet suggesting the team could return to using their classic helmets.
The innocuous message came as Johnson sent out a video of former Gang Green quarterback Ken O’Brien tossing a game-winning pass in overtime to wide receiver Wesley Walker against the Miami Dolphins in 1986, which sealed New York’s victory in a high-scoring 51–45 matchup.
Along with the video, Johnson wrote an ominous message that got fans excited.
“What about those helmets?” he wrote.
What about those helmets? pic.twitter.com/tHgc3KHblU
— Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) June 9, 2022
In the video, Gang Green players were donning their classic helmets that feature the “Jets” name with a cartoonish aircraft bursting out of the J.
The team wore those helmets between 1978 and 1993, according to Bleacher Report.
These days, the team wears headgear with the team’s name above a silhouette of “NY” inside a green oval, with a football below.
It’s not clear if Johnson was alluding to future plans to bring back the classic helmets, and the Jets organization did not respond to a request — but fans were quick to reply to the owner’s social media message, urging him to do so.
“YES YES YES 10000x over,” wrote one user.
“WOODY. YES. WE’VE BEEN TELLING YOU. NOW YOU’RE LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” another said.
“YES PLEASE WOODY,” a third wrote.
Johnson purchased the team in 2000 for $635 million, and the franchise is now worth over $4 billion, according to a Forbes estimate.
For more coverage of Woody Johnson and the Jets, head to amNY.com.
The billionaire, who is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, took a step back from running the team in 2017, when then-President Donald Trump tapped him to become the United States’ ambassador to the United Kingdom. He served in that role throughout Trump’s tenure, before leaving his post at the Winfield House when President Biden took office in 2021.
His tenure as the owner of the team from MetLife has been less-than-fruitful, as they’ve made the playoffs just 5 times in 21 years, and have failed to appear in the Super Bowl. Last season, Gang Green went 4–13, and finished last in the AFC East.
With little hope of making a deep playoff run in the upcoming season, Johnson could excite fans with a return to their old uniforms, either for the entire season, or for a limited set of games.
