List of NY Jets owners: ownership history, majority and minority

Find out about the full list of NY Jets owners: ownership history, majority and minority.

The Jets are a household name in the NFL based in the New York metropolitan area and are currently part of the American Football Conference East division. The Jets are known for their consistent appearances in the NFL playoffs.

Here is the list of New York Jets owners 

Woody Johnson has been the current owner of the New York Jets NFL franchise team since 2000. He purchased the franchise from the Hess estate for $635 million. His brother Christopher Johnson is also one of the owners according to Wikipedia.

Woody Johnson 

Robert Wood Johnson IV "Woody Johnson" is an American businessman. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I. He served as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021.

According to figures from Forbes, Woody Johnson's net worth stood at $3.3B accrued from the ownership of the Jets, Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical companies, etc.

Christopher Johnson 

Chris Johnson is the co-owner and vice chairman of the New York Jets. He is also the great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I. He served as the chairman and chief executive from 2017 to 2021.

New York Jets ownership history

Throughout its existence, the New York Jets have been through a series of ownership.

Harry Wismer (1959–1963)

Harry Wismer was the first and the charter owner of the New York Titans now known as the New York Jets during the American Football League era. He was famously known as one of the sports broadcasters at the time.

He was running the affairs of the team alongside his activities in the sports broadcasting business. The team played in AFL in its early years of formation.

According to Wikipedia, one of the areas that was lacking during his time as the owner of the team was the finances to cater for the team.

However in 1963, he arranged for the sale of the team to a group of investors led by Sonny Werblin who eventually purchased the team.

Following the sale, the team was gradually becoming a competitive franchise in the AFL until the eventual AFL–NFL merger in 1966.

Sonny Werblin (1963–1968)

David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was the second owner of the New York Jets following his purchase of the team from charter owner Harry Wismer. He was famously known for his activities in the entertainment industry and as a sports executive.

Following his takeover of the team as New York Titans, he made a name change to the New York Jets.

Leon Hess (1968–1999)

Leon Hess was the third owner of the New York Jets following his purchase of the team. His journey to the ownership of the team began in 1963 as part of the investment group led by the team's second owner Sonny Werblin.

According to Wikipedia, his initial investment in the team was $250,000. He subsequently bought out other shareholders to become the sole owner of the team in 1984.

In 1968 when his leadership of the team, the New York Jets went on to win the NFL Super Bowl, beating the Baltimore Colts to the championship. This remains the team's only Super Bowl title throughout its history.

Apart from the Super Bowl, the team won other divisional and conference titles and made over eight NFL playoffs appearances.

Hess estate (1999–2000)

Following his passing, the Hess estate took charge of the team and its affairs in the league and eventually sold it to Woody Johnson in the year 2000 for $635 million.