The Jets aren’t just cleaning house on the field.
The organization offered buyouts to 170 of its 250 employees with a deadline of Monday, the last day of the NFL fiscal year, according to Sports Business Journal. The offer came with severance packages ranging from two to 80 weeks of pay depending on seniority.
At the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters that the team will not have layoffs after the buyouts.
Though the team offered the buyouts to all at-will employees, “Management’s motivation is cultural, not financial,” SBJ reported.
The offer comes after the Jets’ ninth consecutive losing season and 14th straight without a playoff berth, which is the longest postseason drought among the four major men’s pro sports leagues. The team recently released quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams after firing head coach Robert Saleh five games into the season. The team hired former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to replace Saleh and signed free agent Justin Fields to be its quarterback.
Johnson was recently rated the league’s worst owner in the NFL Players Association’s annual report cards.
“My first reaction? I think it’s totally bogus,” Johnson said when asked about the report cards Monday.
The Jets did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the layoffs.
