New York Jets

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Lore & Background

The team was founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, a charter member of the American Football League (AFL); the franchise joined the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team began play in 1960 at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. Under new ownership, the current name was adopted in 1963 and the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in Queens in 1964, then to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey in 1984. The Jets advanced to the AFL playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl III where they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game. The Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl. Since 1970 the Jets have won the AFC East only twice, in 1998 and 2002. They have qualified for the postseason 12 times, and reached the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. The Jets have not qualified for the playoffs since then, and currently hold the longest active playoff drought in the NFL and the longest drought in the 'Big 4' North American sports leagues.

In Their Own Story

Week 14 provided a surreal highlight when a Monsters, Inc.-themed alternate broadcast aired on ESPN2. In this animated simulcast, Sulley played for the Chargers and Mike Wazowski for the Eagles; Sulley recorded three interceptions, a touchdown, and was named Player of the Game. The real-life drama peaked in Week 15 against Kansas City, where backup quarterback Gardner Minshew threw a game-deciding interception to Derwin James after Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL. This victory eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention for the first time since 2014. Conversely, Week 17 proved fatal to division hopes; an illegal contact penalty by Tarheeb Still on a third-and-9 play against Houston allowed C.J. Stroud's Texans to retain possession and win, ensuring another AFC West drought.

Reader's Guide

The Jets' team colors are green and white, although they have at times used black as a third/trim color and have had a black alternate uniform since 2019. For most of their history the Jets had white helmets with green stripes and oval or football-shaped logos, and color-inverted jersey sleeves; the current primary uniforms are based on the design used from 1978 to 1989 with simpler striping, green helmets, and a wordmark logo in stylized italic lettering with a jet-plane silhouette above the letters.

Did You Know?

• The Jets were originally named the Titans of New York.
• The team's name was changed to Jets in 1963 to reflect a modern approach and because the team would play near LaGuardia Airport.
• Joe Namath quarterbacked the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III.
• The Jets have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL.