Brock Purdy's success in the NFL after being the final pick in the 2022 draft by the San Francisco 49ers apparently had a strong impact on New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

Per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver, Johnson instructed then-general manager Joe Douglas to send the Denver Broncos the 256th pick in the 2024 NFL draft as part of the Zach Wilson trade.

The Broncos originally asked for the last pick of the draft at No. 257 overall—also owned by the Jets—but as one source said in the report, Johnson "thought he needed the Mr. Irrelevant pick" because he is obsessed with public perception of the organization.

"I don't think that's ever happened in the history of the NFL: A team wanted a worse pick," the source said.

For the record, the Jets used the pick to take Alabama safety Jaylen Key. He spent the start of this season on their practice squad before being released in October. The 24-year-old was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad on Tuesday.

The Broncos took center Nick Gargiulo out of South Carolina. He has spent most of this season on the practice squad, but has been elevated to the active roster for each of their past two games.

In the grand scheme of things, this isn't really that big of a deal. The difference in value between one pick at the end of the final round of the draft is miniscule.

But it speaks to Johnson's seeming desire to always be in the headlines, regardless of whether or not it's in the best interest of the franchise. There is some level of pageantry with the Mr. Irrelevant pick on draft night, but the odds of that player turning into any sort of contributor for an NFL are extremely small.

Outside of Purdy, how many players who have been selected with the final pick in the draft can even the most hardcore NFL draft follower think of off the top of their head?

If the Jets want to pull themselves out of this extended rut that includes 14 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and nine consecutive losing seasons, the best thing that could happen is Johnson takes a backseat to let the front office make moves without feeling hamstrung by his influence on roster decisions.