ORLANDO, Fla. — Woody Johnson sent shock waves through the NFL owners meetings Sunday, confirming the Jets’ interest in acquiring Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson either by trade or free agency if Jackson is released.
Johnson mentioned Jackson by name repeatedly, which caused eyebrows to raise because Jackson is under contract with another team and mentioning him by name could be construed as tampering.
It was also surprising because the Jets have become much more circumspect with their comments about the football operation since the secretive John Idzik was hired as general manager last year.
Asked specifically if the Jets were interested in trading for Jackson, Johnson said: “We’re looking at a number of players, including DeSean. He’s a very good player.”
Johnson quickly added a trade isn’t the Jets’ first preference, though.
“A trade is not our primary operating motif right now,” he said. “We’re trying to build through the draft. Building through the draft is a way to build a successful team long term.”
But if Jackson were to be released, which league sources say is a possibility if the Eagles don’t find a trade partner to their liking, Johnson said the Jets would be interested.
Jackson has three years left on his contract with scheduled salary-cap figures of $12.75 million this season, $12 million in 2015 and $10.5 million in 2016.
That would be a lot to swallow, but the Jets are thought to have roughly $32 million in current cap space. They are among the few teams that could comfortably fit in Jackson’s remaining money.
“We’re always interested in talent,” Johnson said. “If it’s somebody that fits into our locker room and understands that he can fit into our culture at a price we can afford or we feel is appropriate, then we’ll do it.”
Jackson, 27, is reportedly on the block despite coming off a debut season in Chip Kelly’s offense in which he caught 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns.
The speedy Jackson would seem to be an ideal fit for the Jets, who have lacked consistent playmakers at wide receiver the past two seasons and have an opening at the No. 1 receiver spot after recently releasing Santonio Holmes.
Sources have indicated the Eagles — who haven’t explained their displeasure with Jackson — are looking for a third-round pick in return for the moody star. If the Jets were to obtain him, Jackson would reunite with Michael Vick after Vick was signed Friday.
Despite confirming the Jets’ interest in trading for Jackson, Johnson offered few details.
“I don’t know what the status of that is in terms of who’s reached out to whom,” Johnson said. “I haven’t talked to DeSean or his agent. I don’t have any sense of what [the Eagles] want. You can ask [Idzik] that.”
Johnson also defended the Jets’ relative inactivity in the first 10 days of free agency, a stretch that saw them sign just Vick, wide receiver Eric Decker and offensive lineman Breno Giacomini from the outside while other clubs — particularly the Giants — were frenzied with their activity.
“We’ve signed a lot of our own players,” Johnson said. “We’re always looking to make the team better. It’s not like we’re not looking at every single player that’s available, because we are. We’ve been disciplined, and we know what we’re looking for. Sustainable success — that’s what we want.”
At the same time, Johnson made it clear to the Jets and their fans that he’s shifted into “win-now” mode after missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
“I’m not going to use the word patient anymore,” Johnson said. “I want to do it now.”