For the past few months, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has surprisingly stayed out of headlines. Johnson has remained out of the public eye in the aftermath of the Jets' failed Aaron Rodgers experiment. Johnson now finds himself back in headlines, trying to make an investment.
According to ESPN's Mark Ogden, Johnson is attempt to purchase a 43 percent stake in the English soccer team Crystal Palace FC, a bid that would cost Johnson $272 million.
Johnson has ties to England, previously serving as the United State's Ambassador to the United Kingdom during Donald Trump's first presidential term.
Johnson would be buying the stake from former FuboTV executive chairman John Textor. Johnson buying out Textor's share would be a massive help for the club.
Palace won their first-ever major trophy in May's FA Cup final at Wembley, defeating Manchester City. However, Textor's involvement in the club puts them at risk of being barred from the Europa League due to a multiclub ownership rule violation.
Textor owns a majority stake in Ligue 1's Lyon club. UEFA rules precent two teams with the same ownership playing in the same competition, so despite Textor not having any day-to-day involvement with the club, Palace has no clear path for entry into the EUFA Europa League unless Textor sells.
Textor is reportedly ready to sell his 43 percent stake in Palace, and Johnson is the leading candidate to land the stake.
Lyon and Palace aren't the only clubs Textor is invested in, he owns a 90 percent share of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas SAF in Brazil and 80 percent of RWD Molenbeek in Belgium.
Johnson has previously claimed to be a Chelsea fan himself, and has previously made bids for the club after Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Johnson has previously declared himself to be a Chelsea supporter." Ogden wrote. "Should Textor offload his Palace shares, sources have said that it would resolve the multiclub ownership issues that threaten the team's place in next season's Europa League."
Stateside, Johnson has owned the Jets since 2000, purchasing the team for $635 million. In 2024, the Jets were valued at $6.8 billion, according to Sportico, despite New York's record of 173-231 under Johnson.