Woody Johnson has his checkbook out and is ready to sign a quarterback. 

The Jets owner spoke to reporters Thursday to discuss the 2022 season and the state of the franchise. One of the biggest topics discussed was what the Jets will do at quarterback. 

Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, was expected to be the franchise quarterback for the next decade. But he struggled mightily in his second season and was benched twice. While the Jets have made it clear they want to keep Wilson on the roster, he is no longer the unquestioned starter. 

That has led to speculation the Jets would pursue a veteran quarterback in free agency or through a trade this offseason. Johnson was asked if coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas come to him and say they want to bring in a veteran, would he be willing to spend the money on one. 

“Absolutely,” Johnson said. 

He was asked the follow-up, “No matter the cost?” 

“We’ve got a cap so there’s an amount you can spend,” Johnson said. “But yeah, yeah. That’s kind of the missing piece.” 

Indeed it is. 

The Jets have about only $8 million in salary-cap space, according to Spotrac, but they can easily manipulate the roster to create the space to sign a big-time quarterback like the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo or the Raiders’ Derek Carr, who is sure to become a free agent after penning a goodbye note to Las Vegas fans on Twitter on Thursday. 

Johnson was clearly annoyed by the offense’s struggles and how they held the team back in 2022. He repeatedly referenced the defense being near the top of the league but the offense struggling to score. 

The Jets started three different quarterbacks in Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco, which Johnson acknowledged is tough to do. The Jets decided to make a change at offensive coordinator Wednesday, letting Mike LaFleur go. They are now searching for his replacement. 

The Jets finished 7-10 after a six-game losing streak to end the season. They have now gone 12 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the longest active drought in the NFL. Johnson said he believes the team is “loaded” and expects it to make the playoffs next year. He praised the young talent that Douglas has added to the roster. 

Johnson was asked if he thinks fans are tired of hearing that they are close to turning things around. 

“I don’t think our fans are tired of it,” Johnson said. “They can see with their own eyes what happened this year. … They’re optimistic, but they’ve been optimistic. I want to give them what they want. They want wins and they deserve wins and I’m going to try to get them wins. I’m doing everything I can to make it happen for them. No stone unturned.” 

Johnson and the Jets surely thought they were on the verge of fixing their offense when they drafted Wilson in 2021. Johnson echoed some of what Saleh and Douglas have said recently about still believing in Wilson. 

“Zach had a tough year. There’s no denying that,” Johnson said. “I still have confidence that I’ve seen some kernels of real talent there. … But the confidence level, whatever it was, went down.” 

LaFleur said last week that he thought the Jets screwed up in their development of Wilson by playing him immediately. Johnson agreed with him Thursday when asked if the Jets had developed Wilson properly. 

“No, I don’t think we did everything the right way. No, no,” Johnson said. 

How could they have done things differently? 

“Well, if he sat behind a veteran, but which veteran did you have in mind?” Johnson said. “We didn’t have the veteran, but yeah I think we could have done a better job, for sure, and we will do a better job next year.” 

Johnson said the 2022 season was a roller coaster of emotions for him with a crash coming at the end with the six-game losing streak. 

“Frustrating, very frustrating,” Johnson said, “because I see the potential in the team and what Joe and Robert have done in improving the team and getting all those young, unbelievable stars that we have now. So, we have a lot of potential. That makes it more frustrating.”