The New York Jets were created in 1959 as the Titans and began playing in 1960. They changed their name to the Jets in 1963 and the rest is history. Before the AFL-NFL merger, the franchise won one AFL title and one Super Bowl in 1968. The Jets have won four division championships and made the playoffs 14 times.
Despite the franchise’s ups and downs over the years, the Jets have had some outstanding individual players, but they haven’t made the playoffs in a long time. The Jets’ most recent participation was in 2010, so they’ve seen better days. The top 5 greatest New York Jets are listed below!
5. Don Maynard – WR
Records: 633 Receptions, 11,834 Receiving Yards, 88 Touchdowns
Achievements: Jets retired his number 13.
Championships: 1
Don Maynard’s stats are quite good considering the time he spent in the NFL. Maynard’s 18.7 yards per catch ratio is the greatest for anyone who had 600 catches. He was one of the primary elements of the Jets lone Super Bowl championship.
4. Al Toon – WR
Records: 517 Receptions, 31 Touchdowns, Receiving Yards 6,605, 31 Touchdowns
Achievements: New York Jets Ring of Honor, New York Jets All-Time Four Decades Team.
Al Toon was a superb wide receiver with the Jets, he was the 1988 NFL catches leader and a three-time Pro Bowler. Despite playing less than 110 games Toon still managed to amass over 500 catches. That is amazing! He was a fan favorite and played with the Jets his whole career.
3. Kevin Mawae – C
Records: 241 Games Played
Achievements: 8-Time Pro Bowl, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, New York Jets Ring of Honor.
Kevin Mawae may be described in one word as dominating. He performed at a really high level and helped several teammates earn good numbers. He got to six Pro Bowls as a Jet and was one of the league’s greatest centers.
2. Mark Gastineau – DE
Records: 74 Sacks, 137 Games Played
Achievements: 5-Time Pro Bowl, 2-time NFL Sacks Leader, New York Jets Ring of Honor, New York Jets All-Time Four Decades Team.
Mark Gastineau should be number 2 and in another universe, he would be number 1. He established NFL records for 4 sacks in a Pro Bowl and became the league sack leader 2 seasons in a row! He was a sack machine and his numbers prove it! One of the Jets and NFL all-time finest.
1. Joe Namath – QB
Records: 3,762 Pass Attempts, 1,886 Pass completions, and 27,663 Passing Yards
Achievements: Super Bowl MVP, NFL Comeback Player of the Year 1974, New York Jets retired his number 12, 3-Time NFL Passing yards leaders
Championships: 1
New York was created for Joe Namath and Joe Namath was made for New York. He possessed movie star looks and a charisma that few players in Jets history ever had. Namath led the Jets to their first Super Bowl, he is still a New York sports scene character, he performed movies, TV programs, and ads. When you think of the entire package… it’s Joe Namath.
