Green Smoke

By Larry Menkes

I woke up this morning, and the NY Jets had moved to the UK.

On the eve of the 2025 Draft, I dreamt of the impossible: as the Jets were planning on drafting their next cornerstones for the organization, Ambassador Woody Johnson packed up every morsel from Florham Park and, in the dark of the night, he moved the franchise to London.

I knew the Jets were hitting the reset button on the organization and trying to rid themselves of a 15-year playoff drought, a bad relationship with a guy named Aaron, and a losing culture within the building that’s in such a state that non-football employees’ contracts were being bought out, but why did this move need to cut this deep? Has the franchise hit that rock bottom, or did the NFL negotiate with the former Ambassador to be part of a relegation test project, where the bottom three will have to move across the pond to help with their own European expansion project?

Much like when the Jets made a deal with the devil some 50-plus years ago to merge the NFL with the AFL and miraculously, he awarded us with a Lombardi Trophy, is this the second coming?

There are so many lingering questions as to why now? How?

Yes, I’m biased; I am a lifelong loyal fan of one of the best fanbases in the world. And yes, at times…well…most of the time, as a fan, I am abused, tortured, ridiculed, bewildered, and left in despair, but one day, I hoped, I dreamed, Gang Green would win a championship. And as it seems, my heart has momentarily been ripped apart.

What will become of Sundays? No longer will there be Saturday prep night for all the food and drinks? Leaving for MetLife five hours before a game so my son and I can line up by the players lot for autographs. Three hours before the game, begin to cook for all my friends that slowly arrive for game day. 30 minutes before kickoff, begin the breakdown and pack-up process of putting things back into the car, and then begin the lineup to get through security, the escalator ride up flexing dreams of a new beginning, a new game, a potential win, and a fresh J-E-T-S chant. What will that become now, knowing my team will no longer reside in the New York area?

If true, what will this mean? Do I keep my season tickets? Does the team reimburse my PSL (Please Stop Losing) payment? Rather than getting Jets Rewards, will the team give me Delta Miles? Will the plan for a super-train from NY to London get fast-tracked (no pun intended) by the NFL?

Do the Jets retain the name the Jets, or do they change it to the Concordes? The Royals? The Dukes? The Duchesses?

Will the J-E-T-S chant be replaced by some soccer song that pokes fun at the owner?

Will we need to build a barricade inside the stadium for opposing fans or install electric fencing like they nearly did at Chelsea FC back in the 80s?

Will Fireman Ed be cancelled and replaced with HRH Frank the King?

Do I dress up as Larry Potter, the Jets Sorcerer? Do I fully move to the UK?

I have so many more burning questions…

What will game day look like?

Will the tailgate be kicked to the curb due to lack of space, and will I need to join a crew at a local pub?

Have my skirt steaks seasoned ever so tastefully with Montreal Steak Dry Rub only to become replaced by a shepherd’s pie?

Maybe I am looking at this all the wrong way. Perhaps this is a good thing. Maybe change is good? Having the team alone in the UK keeps them away from the spotlight of the Big Apple, and perhaps it is a good thing not having to share a city with another team? Is this a way to gain more allies? Make new mates and acclimate to a similar but different life.

Maybe I can now appreciate the team more than ever. More than before? Who knows what lies ahead? Was it all a dream, or is this what life will be like?

All I know is one thing. If we win the championship, who cares where we win it? If I am with the greatest fan base, then that is what matters most.

The Jets are now on the clock…