New York Jets are a professional football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL) . The team competes in the East Division of the American Football Conference. The Jets play their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York City.
New York began play in 1960 as an original member of the American Football League (AFL). The team was first known as the New York Titans. It changed its name to the Jets in 1963.
In 1965, the Jets signed rookie quarterback Joe Namath to a contract of $427,000, a record sum at that time. The Jets won the battle for Namath over the St. Louis Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals ) of the National Football League. The signing of Namath by an AFL team helped influence the competing AFL and NFL to merge in 1970.
In 1969, the Jets won Super Bowl III in one of the greatest upsets in professional football history. The team won a division championship in the AFL in 1969 but did not have another winning season until 1981. Since the 1970 merger of the AFL and the NFL, the Jets have won only two division titles.
New York Jets legends have included running back Freeman McNeil (1981-1992), defensive end Mark Gastineau (1979-1988), offensive tackle Winston Hill (1963-1976), linebacker Mo Lewis (1991-2003), running back Curtis Martin (1998-2005), flanker and wide receiver Don Maynard (1960-1972), quarterback Joe Namath (1965-1976), and quarterback Ken O’Brien (1984-1992). Recent stars have included linebacker David Harris, center Nick Mangold, and cornerback Darrelle Revis.
