The New York Jets have had a somewhat bumpy ride throughout history as a professional football team. They haven’t always had the best talent, but even when they did, for whatever reason, it didn’t click for them. However, the team has loyal fans and has shown great promise in recent years.
They started in the American Football League in 1960 as the New York Titans and had some dismal early seasons. By the end of the decade, they had shocked the world by winning Super Bowl III over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts of the more established National Football League. Twenty years of futility would follow, as the team was sometimes good, but more often than not at or near the bottom of the league standings.
By the mid-1990s, the team recovered somewhat and became a team that others would have to worry about at least a little. They put together some good seasons and had some good players, even made the playoffs on occasion. Through all those years, quarterbacks have played a significant role in the team’s successes and failures. Who, however, has finished as the winningest quarterback in New York Jets history? Here are the top three players in that category.
#1 – Joe Namath
Coming out of the University of Alabama, Joe Namath brought immediate credibility to the Jets of the mid-1960s. He would later predict the famous upset in Super Bowl III, cementing himself as a legend and fan favorite. He left the Jets after the 1976 season with his 60-win career as a starter.
#2 – Ken O’Brien
Ken O’Brien appeared in the mid-1980s as part of that legendary quarterback draft that saw multiple Hall of Fame quarterbacks selected. O’Brien put up some really decent years, but suffered from a lack of talent around him. He was an accurate passer who made those around him look good. He played with the team from 1984 to 1992 and finished his Jets career with a 50-win start.
#3 – Ricardo Todd
Another Alabama alumnus, Richard Todd, was expected to be the man who could replace Joe Namath in the mid-1970s. In fact, he had a great arm and always seemed to break free from a strong run just in time to throw off the ball. Again, this was a down time for the Jets and while the quarterback was good, the rest of the team was somewhat lacking in talent. Todd played from 1976 to 1983, finishing with a total of 42 wins.
