Jets Fans Watch the Playoffs Through Gritted Teeth as Former Players Shine
Another NFL postseason, another round of salt in the wound for New York Jets fans. The franchise is now tied for the longest active playoff drought in major American sports-15 years and counting-and this January has brought a familiar sting: watching former Jets thrive on football’s biggest stage.
Let’s start with kicker Harrison Mevis. He didn’t make the Jets roster after a tryout last summer, but now?
He’s the toast of Los Angeles, having drilled the game-winning field goal that sent the Rams to the NFC Championship. That’s the kind of clutch performance Jets fans haven’t seen in green and white in a long, long time.
And then there’s Sam Darnold.
Yes, that Sam Darnold.
The quarterback who once represented hope for the future in New York is now one win away from leading the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2014. For Jets fans, it's a gut punch. Darnold’s time in New York ended in frustration, but his current form has some wondering: what if the Jets had never moved on?
It’s a fair question-especially when you stack Darnold’s resurgence next to the struggles of Zach Wilson, the quarterback the Jets selected No. 2 overall in 2021 after trading Darnold to Carolina. Hindsight is undefeated, and it’s easy to play armchair GM now that Darnold is thriving and Wilson has yet to find his footing.
But let’s not rewrite history.
Darnold’s time with the Panthers was rocky, to say the least. Across two seasons in Carolina, he threw for fewer than 4,000 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
His struggles were so pronounced that offensive coordinator Joe Brady was fired before the 2021 season even ended. There were moments-like Robby Chosen barking at him on the sideline after a brutal end zone pick-that reminded Jets fans why the team moved on in the first place.
Things got so bad in Carolina that the Panthers brought in Baker Mayfield, another quarterback from Darnold’s draft class who hadn’t lived up to expectations. That’s how far Darnold had fallen.
Still, it’s understandable why Jets fans feel a mix of frustration and regret now. Darnold’s bounce-back tour took him to San Francisco, where he couldn’t beat out Brock Purdy, and then to Minnesota, where he finally put together a breakout season-over 4,000 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and a playoff berth. The Vikings, surprisingly, let him walk after a poor showing in the wild-card round, opting instead to roll with 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie year due to a torn meniscus.
Seattle didn’t hesitate. They signed Darnold to a $105 million deal, and now he’s one win away from the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Vikings missed the postseason entirely, and the Jets are once again watching from home.
To be fair, the Jets at least got something for Darnold-draft picks that helped them move up and select Breece Hall, who’s become a foundational piece of their offense. The Vikings? They let Darnold walk for nothing.
Jets fans have been down this road before. Mekhi Becton wins a Super Bowl with the Eagles after a frustrating stint in New York, and suddenly the narrative shifts: “Why didn’t the Jets develop him better?”
Geno Smith finds success in Seattle, and it’s, “Why didn’t the Jets give him more time?” It’s a recurring theme-former Jets players finding success elsewhere becomes an easy target for criticism.
Even on national shows like ESPN’s First Take, the Jets are the go-to punching bag. Analysts like Stephen A.
Smith and Dan Orlovsky have taken shots at the organization for giving up on Darnold, conveniently skipping over his forgettable stops in Carolina and San Francisco. It’s almost as if the Jets' history of futility makes them the default scapegoat, regardless of context.
But here’s the thing: tough decisions are part of the job in the NFL. Not every move is going to work out.
And just because a former player finds success elsewhere doesn’t automatically mean the Jets were wrong to move on. If Darnold had stayed and struggled under Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur, while Wilson thrived elsewhere, the same fans would be asking why they didn’t make a change sooner.
It’s easy to second-guess now that Darnold is playing well. But when the Jets traded him, he was coming off three underwhelming seasons and had shown little consistency. The team took a swing on Wilson, and while that hasn’t panned out yet, it's not like they were choosing between a proven Pro Bowler and a rookie prospect.
Jets fans have every right to be frustrated. Fifteen years without a playoff appearance is brutal.
Watching former players succeed elsewhere only adds to the pain. But it’s time to stop living in the past.
The Darnold decision was made five years ago. He’s on his third team since then.
The Jets can’t go back in time and change it, and honestly, they probably wouldn’t even if they could.
It’s time to look forward. The Jets need to focus on building a roster that can finally break the cycle-not dwell on the ones who got away.