The level of Woody Johnson's ineptitude and interfering nature as owner of the New York Jets are even more absurd than it seemed as the franchise is mired in a 14-year playoff drought.

Per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver, an offseason trade between the Jets and Denver Broncos for Jerry Jeudy was vetoed by Johnson because he felt the wide receiver's Madden rating "wasn't high enough" to justify the deal.

The influence of Madden ratings in Johnson's decision-making apparently stems from his teenage sons, Brick and Jack.

Per the report, Johnson began to be include them in in some meetings and the team's facility after his tenure as ambassador to the U.K. during Donald Trump's first Presidential administration ended in January 2021.

"When we're discussing things, you'll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that's being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has," one Jets executive said in the report.

At one point, then-general manager Joe Douglas said last offseason "I answer to a teenager" in reference to the influence of Jack and Brick. There was also a feeling within the organization that the vetoed Jeudy trade was another sign of their influence with their father.

Jeudy apparently wasn't the only player whose Madden rating became a sticking point for Johnson:

"Another example came when Johnson pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster 'awareness' rating in Madden. The Jets signed Simpson anyway, and he has had a solid season: Pro Football Focus currently has him graded as the eighth-best guard in the NFL."

A spokesperson for the Jets disputed that observations from Jack and Brick have an impact on organizational decisions, saying it can be used as a "reference point" but not "determinative" to anything the team does.

"It's really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad," the spokesperson said. "It's ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives. (The sons) have no roles in the organization. It's completely ridiculous to suggest that any outside info is intended to replace the opinions of (Woody Johnson's) staff."

It had been known that Johnson vetoed a trade for Jeudy. Rosenblatt and Russini reported that story in November after Douglas was fired as general manager. The Jets offered Allen Lazard and a day two pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Broncos for the veteran wideout before Johnson intervened.

Little did we know that the full details about the nixed deal involved the Madden video game. Since the talks happened during the offseason, Jeudy's rating would have been from Madden NFL 24. He was the top receiver on Denver's roster when the game released with an 83 overall rating.

That would have made him the second-best receiver on the Jets, behind only Garrett Wilson at 84 overall. The Cleveland Browns wound up trading for Jeudy, giving up picks in the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2024 draft to the Broncos.

Jeudy currently has 1,052 receiving yards this season, which would be the most on the Jets roster. Wilson leads the Jets with 933 yards.

New York was able to swing an in-season trade for Davante Adams, so at least the team was able to add another good wideout to play alongside Wilson. It hasn't helped the team win games with a 4-10 record going into Week 16.

Since Johnson purchased the franchise in 2000, the Jets' 172 wins are the eighth-fewest in the NFL. Their 14-year playoff drought is the longest active streak among all teams in the four major North American men's pro sports leagues.