When Jets acting owner Christopher Johnson first met the media in September, he said he wouldn't judge the 2017 season on "wins and losses." This was about progress, improvement, and rebuilding a franchise stuck in a rut.

So when the Jets finished the year 5-11, and gave coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan contract extensions, few batted an eye. Wholesale changes weren't expected. The two men did what Johnson wanted.

But this coming season should be different, right? Absent a postseason berth since 2011, the Jets have to get there in 2018, right?

"I have no mandate," Johnson said. "Believe me, I want to get to the playoffs. I want to build a team with Mike and Todd that can compete for the playoffs every year. That can't happen fast enough. But there's no mandate."

Woody's little brother apparently has no problem with the slow-and-steady team-building approach. He doesn't want to go all-in in 2018. He wants year-after-year success. That, he says, takes time.

This year, he saw signs the Jets are headed in the right direction, and received confirmation on Monday. While players cleaned out their lockers, he called several into his office. They all told him the same thing -- "something special" was happening with the Jets.

A big reason for that? Bowles.

"The players clearly love Todd," Johnson said. "I heard, more than once, they'd run through a brick wall for him. I think he's a great coach, a great coach of these men. The record at the end of the season didn't dissuade me from that.

"He's a great leader of men. He got the most out of his guys. He got more than anybody imagined out of these guys. The predictions the beginning of the season were pretty dire. I think some stars, some young stars emerged. An extraordinary core emerged. I attribute that to Todd and his staff."

Johnson said he determined early in the season he wanted everyone back, and never wavered throughout the year -- even when the Jets lost nine of their last eleven games, including four straight to close the year.

The 2017 Jets were better than the 2016 Jets, despite matching records. Now it's about making the 2018 version the best of the three. He believes Bowles and Maccagnan can make that happen. They certainly have the tools to keep improving, too.

The Jets figure to have $100 million in salary cap space by the start of free agency. They hold the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft, then two more in the second round, and one in each round the rest of the way.

They need to find a quarterback, sure. Cornerback, offensive line and pass-rushing help wouldn't hurt, either. But successful teams, playoff teams, have been built with far less.

"(Christopher) understands what we're trying to accomplish," Maccagnan said. "I think he's very supportive of it. We're all on the same page. Not just myself and Christopher, but also (Todd Bowles) and as an organization.

"We have a lot of things we feel good about. There are definitely some things we need to improve upon. But I do think we've got an offseason here which gives us a chance to do that."

Just one issue: How much longer can the Jets expect their fan base to wait?

Next year, the Jets will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1968 Super Bowl championship. It also marks 50 years since the Jets have been in a Super Bowl. That's not good, and Johnson isn't ignorant to it.

He spent time this season bouncing around tailgates, talking to those who bleed green. He's done his best to understand what's on their mind, how they feel. He knows how much this means to them.

Which is why his message to fans is simple: Success is coming.

"I know that we have given them a lot more pain than glory recently," Johnson said. "It's been a long time since we've had proper glory.

"I think that they understand that I'm trying to set this team up for glory. I think we'll get there. I really do."

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.