Jets Owner Woody Johnson Won ‘Hard Knocks’ With His Massive Diamond Chain

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Most NFL owners have a net worth higher than every single person on their roster combined, but you usually won’t see them rocking the flashy clothing or expensive jewelry players have a tendency to flaunt—although Woody Johnson has become a very notable exception.

An heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, the New Jersey native purchased the New York Jets for $635 million in 2000, and the fact that the franchise is now worth an estimated $5.4 billion means the man with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion has gotten a very solid return on his initial investment.

However, it would be a stretch to suggest that rise in value is directly linked with how the Jets have fared on the gridiron.

The team obviously spent close to two decades dealing with the headaches that come with sharing the AFC East with a Patriots team led by Tom Brady.

With that said, the Jets were still able to punch their tickets to the playoffs six times in the first decade of the Woody Johnson Era (including two trips to the AFC Championship Game), which makes the current postseason drought that stretches back to 2011 particularly frustrating.

New York is heading into the upcoming campaign with clear eyes, full hearts, and a can’t-lose attitude buoyed by the addition of Aaron Rodgers, whose presence has been one of the most intriguing aspects of the current season of Hard Knocks.

However, I’d argue Johnson stole the show when the most recent episode aired on Tuesday night.

That installment featured a clip of Johnson addressing the Jets at a team meeting prior to a joint practice with the Buccaneers, which saw the owner roll into the room wearing a jacket he unzipped to unveil a massive diamond-covered (and seemingly Elton John-inspired chain) that reads “Woody and The Jets,” which was a huge hit with the players in attendance.

According to TMZ, Johnson reached out to NJ-based Al The Jeweler (who’s also made pieces for Rodgers and Sauce Gardner) to commission the custom bling that boasts “80 carats of emerald and round cut diamonds with a white gold setting.”

Flex on ’em, Woody.