More details about Zach Wilson’s trade from the New York Jets to the Denver Broncos this past offseason were recently made public.
On Thursday, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver published an in-depth examination of Jets owner Woody Johnson’s involvement in the team’s decision-making — revealing strange anecdotes, including an unusual request in the Wilson trade.
The Jets traded Wilson to the Broncos in April for a seventh round pick swap after three tumultuous seasons for Wilson in New York.
At the time, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Jets would also “cover some of Wilson’s roughly $5.5 million salary.”
Woody Johnson wanted to keep ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ pick in Zach Wilson trade
A source told The Athletic that Denver wanted the last pick of the 2024 NFL draft, pick No. 257. But Johnson wanted to give Denver pick No. 256 instead.
The reason? Johnson wanted to draft the next Brock Purdy, who was drafted with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Purdy went on to lead the 49ers to the NFC Conference Championship as a rookie and to the Super Bowl the following year.
This season has been a different story full of injuries and frustrations for the 49ers, who were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, but Purdy is still probably the best “Mr. Irrelevant” — the nickname given to the final player picked in the draft — in NFL history.
“(Johnson) thought he needed the Mr. Irrelevant pick to get a Brock Purdy. ... I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of the NFL: A team wanted a worse pick,” the source told The Athletic.
The Broncos drafted offensive linemen Nick Gargiulo with the pick from the trade. Gargiulo is still on the Bronco’s roster.
With pick No. 257, the Jets failed to find the next Purdy and instead drafted safety Jaylen Key out of Alabama, who failed to make the final roster.
Key was on the Jets practice for six games before he was released on Oct. 30. The Bengals added him to their practice squad on Tuesday.
Johnson’s request to keep pick No. 257 in the Wilson trade wasn’t the only time he’s made a controversial move during negotiations with the Broncos.
The Jets owner also shut down a trade for Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because his “Madden NFL” rating was too low for Johnson, The Athletic reported.
Both the Jets and Broncos sit in second-to-last place in their divisions, but the Broncos have been able to find more success this season with a 9-6 win-loss record compared to the Jets’ 4-11 record.
The Broncos play the Bengals on Saturday, and the Jets play the Bills on Sunday.