New York Jets

History

The first organizational meeting of the American Football League took place on August 14, 1959. Harry Wismer, representing the city of New York at the meeting, proclaimed the state was ready for another professional football team and that he was more than capable of running the daily operations.

Wismer was granted the charter franchise later dubbed the Titans of New York as Wismer explained, "Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants." He secured the Titans' home field at the decrepit Polo Grounds, a place where the team struggled financially and on the field during its first three years. In their first two seasons of existence, coached by Sammy Baugh, the Titans went 7–7 in both 1960 and 1961. By 1962, the debt continued to mount for Wismer, forcing the AFL to assume the costs of the team until season's end.

A five-man syndicate of Sonny Werblin, Leon Hess, Philip H. Iselin, Townsend B. Martin, and Donald C. Lillis saved the team from certain bankruptcy, purchasing the lowly Titans for $1 million in 1963. Werblin renamed the team the New York Jets since the team would play near LaGuardia Airport and because it rhymed with the New York Mets as they would be playing in Shea Stadium. The new name was intended to reflect the modern approach of his team. Beginning with Werblin in 1968, Hess gradually bought out his partners' shares of ownership. The Jets' owners hired Weeb Ewbank as the general manager and head coach. Ewbank and quarterback Joe Namath led the Jets to prominence in 1969, when New York defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and solidified the AFL's position in the world of professional football.

When the AFL and NFL merged, the team fell into a state of mediocrity along with their star quarterback, Namath, who only had three successful post-merger seasons after injuries hampered much of his career. The Jets continued to spiral downward before enjoying a string of successes in the 1980s, which included an appearance in the 1982 AFC Championship Game, and the emergence of the popular New York Sack Exchange. Walt Michaels and Joe Walton coached the team throughout the decade.

The early 1990s saw the team struggling. After firing coach Bruce Coslet, owner Leon Hess hired Pete Carroll who struggled to a 6–10 record and was promptly fired at the end of the season. Thereafter, Rich Kotite was selected to lead the team to victory; instead he led the Jets to a 4–28 record over the next two years. Kotite stepped down at the end of his second season, forcing the Jets to search for a new head coach.

Hess lured then-disgruntled New England Patriots head coach Bill Parcells to New York in 1997. Parcells led the team back to relevance and coached them to the AFC Championship Game in 1998. Hess died in 1999 while the team, plagued by injuries, produced an eight win record, falling short of a playoff berth. At the end of the season, Parcells stepped down as head coach deferring control to his assistant, Bill Belichick; Belichick resigned the very next day (leaving a napkin at the stage for his introduction, on which he had written "I resign as HC of the NYJ") and went on to accept the head coaching position with the Patriots.

The franchise obtained a new owner in Woody Johnson in 2000. Additionally, through the 2000s the Jets visited the playoffs five times, a franchise record, under the direction of three coaches: Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, and Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan was hired in January 2009. In the draft that year the Jets would take USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick with the intent of making him the franchise centerpiece. Ryan and Sanchez led the team to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances during their first two years, but the team never made the playoffs again during their tenure. The Jets had a 6–10 season in 2012 and an 8–8 season in 2013. After a 4–12 season in 2014, Sanchez was released, while Ryan and general manager John Idzik were fired.

Before the 2015 season, Todd Bowles was hired as head coach. In his first season, he led the Jets to a 10–6 record, second in the AFC East, but failed to qualify for the postseason. Then came three consecutive last-place finishes in the AFC East from 2016 to 2018, winning no more than five games each season. Bowles was fired after the 2018 season. Before the 2018 season, the Jets used their first-round pick, third overall, on quarterback Sam Darnold from USC in the NFL Draft. Adam Gase was hired as head coach the following year. Gase led the Jets to a 7–9 record in 2019 and 2–14 in 2020, missing the postseason both years, and was fired. Before the 2021 season, the Jets hired former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as head coach. The Jets used their first-round pick, second overall, on BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. The 2021 season saw the Jets go 4–13 to finish last in the AFC East. The 2022 season brought the Jets a 7–10 record but another last-place finish in the division. In the 2023 season, the Jets once again finished 7–10, despite the highly deliberated signing of Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on the first offensive series of the regular season. Rodgers was released by the Jets in February 2025 after two seasons with the team, although he remained on the roster until March 12. The 2024 season saw the Jets fire Saleh after a 2–3 start. Jeff Ulbrich finished the season with a 3–9 mark to end with a 5–12 record. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was named as head coach after the season.

New England Patriots

Since the inception of the American Football League, the Jets have maintained what is considered to be a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots. The rivalry was relatively docile in its early years until 1966 when the Jets removed the Patriots, who had hopes of appearing in Super Bowl I, from playoff contention with a 38–28 defeat at Shea Stadium. The Patriots returned the favor in 1985 when the Jets lost to New England 26–14 in the wild card round; the Patriots went on to Super Bowl XX where they were defeated by the Bears.

The rivalry began to escalate and receive increased media attention in 1997 when a disgruntled Bill Parcells vacated his head coaching position with New England to accept the same position with New York Jets. The next year, the Jets signed Pro Bowl running back Curtis Martin from the Patriots. After the Jets declined during Parcells' third year, Parcells decided to resign as head coach. His assistant, Bill Belichick, was installed as the new head coach but suddenly resigned the next day at a press conference, just one day after accepting the position, to become the new head coach of the Patriots instead. His decision was influenced by the passing of the team owner, Leon Hess, before the '99 season, who at one point was offering Belichick a $1 million bonus to stay put. However, Belichick had not spoken to the two potential new owners, Woody Johnson and Charles Dolan, and had issues with both because the original agreement with Hess was no longer there; "the whole ownership configuration at that point in time was a major factor in my decision much more than a personal relationship."

A critical turning point of the rivalry took place on September 23, 2001, when Jets linebacker Mo Lewis tackled Drew Bledsoe, leaving the veteran with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for Tom Brady to take over as the starting quarterback and during his tenure, Brady successfully guided New England to six Super Bowl titles. In 2006, Eric Mangini, an assistant under Belichick, left New England to join the Jets as their head coach. Under Mangini, the infamous Spygate incident took place, further escalating tensions between both clubs. When Rex Ryan was hired as the team's head coach, the rivalry further escalated due to an increased war of words between both teams. In January 2011, the two met in a Divisional Round playoff game. The visiting Jets pulled a 28–21 upset to advance to the AFC Championship Game, which they ultimately lost one week later to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As of the 2024 season, the Patriots lead the all-time series 75–56–1.

Buffalo Bills

The Jets and the Bills represent the same state (although the Jets play in New Jersey), and this rivalry represents the differences between New York City and Upstate New York. The teams are both charter members of the American Football League and have generally stayed in the same division since, even after the NFL and AFL merged. The first meeting between the two teams saw the New York Titans, later the Jets, defeat the Bills 27–3. Aside from a few notable moments, such as O. J. Simpson breaking an NFL rushing record against the Jets, the lone playoff game in the series between the two teams in the 1981 Wild Card Round, and ex-Jets coach Rex Ryan coaching the Bills for two years, the rivalry has otherwise been characterized by shared mediocrity and uncompetitive games, including notable blunders by quarterbacks Mark Sanchez of the Jets, and J. P. Losman of the Bills. However, in recent years, the series has heated up again due to a friendly rivalry between quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh Allen, who were selected in the first round of the 2018 draft. As of the 2024 season, the Bills lead the all-time series 71–58.

Miami Dolphins

New York has maintained a rivalry with the Miami Dolphins since the Dolphins' inception in 1966. The lone tie in the series took place in Week 5 of the 1981 season with a 28–28 draw. The Jets' best chance to reach the Super Bowl after the Super Bowl III victory was thwarted by A.J. Duhe in 1983 whose interception return for touchdown on a rain-soaked field in the conference championship game was the decisive score. This remains as the lone postseason meeting in the series. One of the most famous games in Jets history took place in 1994 when the Dolphins ran the Fake Spike play, giving them an improbable victory and halting the Jets' momentum that season, serving as a precursor to the Jets' next two unsuccessful years under Rich Kotite. The Jets went on to complete an improbable victory of their own on October 23, 2000, in what is known as The Monday Night Miracle. The Jets, trailing the Dolphins 30–7 at the end of the third quarter, rallied in the fourth quarter scoring 23 unanswered points, eventually winning in overtime with a 40-yard John Hall kick.

When Rex Ryan became New York's head coach, there was an increased war of words between the clubs culminating with Ryan flashing an obscene gesture to heckling Dolphins fans in January 2010. The rivalry continued between both teams when Sal Alosi, then the strength and conditioning coach of the Jets, tripped Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll. Carroll was not seriously injured and Alosi resigned nearly two months later. As of the 2024 season, the Miami Dolphins lead the all-time series, 61–57–1.

New York Giants

The New York Jets previously maintained a high tension rivalry against their in-town counterparts, the New York Giants, that has since diminished due to the infrequency of the teams meeting in the regular season. The pinnacle of the rivalry came on August 17, 1969, when the Jets and Giants met for the first time, in a preseason game which was viewed as a "turf war" by both sides. The Giants, considered a mediocre team at the time, were regarded as underdogs and faced considerable scrutiny from their fans and the media. The Jets 37–14 win resulted in the firing of Giants coach Allie Sherman.

The Jets met the Giants in 1988 for the final game of the regular season. The Jets, with a 7–7–1 record, had little to lose as their hopes for playoff contention had vanished. The 10–5 Giants were fighting for a playoff spot, and a victory would have clinched a division title and playoff berth. Although the six point favorites, the Giants were unable to overcome a Jets defense that sacked their quarterback Phil Simms eight times. With the Jets' victory and wins by the Rams and Eagles, the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention and the Jets gained respect in the eyes of many.

In spite of the big sibling rivalry that has resulted in trash talk between the players, both teams have formed an unexpected and consequently strong partnership sharing Giants Stadium for 26 years and MetLife Stadium, a venture in which both teams own a 50% share of the venue. The rivalry regained much of its tension in the 2011 NFL season when the Jets and Giants met in Week 16. Both teams needed a victory to keep their playoffs hope alive and there was significant trash talk between Rex Ryan and his players and many of the Giants in the weeks leading up to the game. Ryan and Giants running back Brandon Jacobs reportedly came close to blows after the game, a 29–14 Giants win. The two teams met again on December 6, 2015, with the Jets coming from behind and winning 23–20 in overtime. The teams met again in 2019, with the Jets taking the win 34–27. On October 29, 2023, the Jets won 13–10 in overtime as the visitors. As of the 2023 season, the Giants lead the all-time series 8–7.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the Jets' last five completed seasons.

Note: The finish, wins, losses, and ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.