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NFL/Teams/New York Jets
FRANCHISE

NFL franchise story

New York Jets

The Jets own one of football's most consequential victories through Joe Namath, plus the Sack Exchange and Rex Ryan peaks that have kept generations believing another breakthrough can arrive.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the New York Jets.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: New York Jets official NFL team page ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1960—1968

01
NYJNAMATH12Joe Namath
NYJMAYNARD—Don Maynard
NYJSNELL—Matt Snell

The AFL's boldest team changes football

Namath and the guarantee

The Titans became the Jets, signed Namath and validated the entire AFL by upsetting Baltimore in Super Bowl III.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1960—1968

02▼

Franchise era

1969—1980

02
NYJNAMATH12Joe Namath
NYJRIGGINS—John Riggins
NYJWALKER—Wesley Walker

Aging stars give way to a slow rebuild

After the guarantee

Injuries limited Namath and New York spent much of the 1970s searching before a young defensive line began to emerge.

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Chapter 02

1969—1980

03▼

Franchise era

1981—1996

03
NYJGASTINEAU99Mark Gastineau
NYJKLECKO—Joe Klecko
NYJO'BRIEN—Ken O'Brien

Pass rush returns the Jets to January

The Sack Exchange and more near misses

The Sack Exchange led consecutive playoff teams, and the 1986 club began 10–1 before injuries and an overtime loss ended its run.

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Chapter 03

1981—1996

04▼

Franchise era

1997—2006

04
NYJMARTIN28Curtis Martin
NYJTESTAVERDE16Vinny Testaverde
NYJPENNINGTON10Chad Pennington

From one win to the AFC title game

Parcells changes the standard

Parcells rebuilt the franchise immediately, Martin became its model of consistency and Pennington later delivered another division title.

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Chapter 04

1997—2006

05▼

Franchise era

2007—2010

05
NYJREVIS24Darrelle Revis
NYJSANCHEZ6Mark Sanchez
NYJMANGOLD74Nick Mangold

A fearless defense reaches two AFC title games

Revis Island and Rex Ryan

Ryan's pressure defense and an elite offensive line won four road playoff games in two seasons, twice finishing one win from the Super Bowl.

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Chapter 05

2007—2010

06

Franchise era

2011—present

06
NYJWILKERSON96Muhammad Wilkerson
NYJWILLIAMS95Quinnen Williams
NYJGARDNER1Sauce Gardner

Defensive talent waits for quarterback stability

The playoff drought

New York continued producing excellent defenders but cycled through quarterbacks and coaches during the league's longest active postseason absence.

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Chapter 06

2011—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five New York Jets games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Super Bowl

Super Bowl
III
BALTIMORECOLTS
NEW YORKJETS
1969-01-12

Baltimore Colts vs New York Jets

1969-01-12

#02 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1969
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
NEW YORKJETS
1969-12-20

Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Jets

1969-12-20

#03 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1982
NEW YORKJETS
LOS ANGELESRAIDERS
1983-01-15

New York Jets vs Los Angeles Raiders

1983-01-15

#04 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1998
JACKSONVILLEJAGUARS
NEW YORKJETS
1999-01-10

Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Jets

1999-01-10

#05 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
2009
NEW YORKJETS
SAN DIEGOCHARGERS
2010-01-17

New York Jets vs San Diego Chargers

2010-01-17

Season history

Every season

67 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

1,059 total · loaded 10 at a time