Top 10 New York Jets of Past 10 Years

Jonathan Vilma joined the Jets in 2004 as the team's first-round pick. Vilma would slot right in as the starting middle linebacker and become the key to the Jets defense.

In his rookie season, Vilma recorded 107 tackles, two sacks and three interception and would be awarded with the Defensive Rookie of the Year of award. One season later, Vilma would go on to lead the NFL in tackles, amassing 169 total tackles on the season.

When Eric Mangini arrived in 2006, the Jets switched to a 3-4 defense, and even though Vilma's size didn't necessarily play to his advantages in the new scheme, he still managed to come down with 113 tackles.

The 2007 season saw an unfortunate event when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the team's week seven game against the Bengals.

With no place in the team's future plans as a 3-4 defense, Vilma lacked the size and spot on the defense to move forward with the team and was sent to the New Orleans Saints prior to the 2008 season.

Despite being a fan favorite and defensive leader, he only spent four seasons with the Jets, but did a tremendous job during his tenure in New York.

In four seasons, Vilma recorded 438 tackles, six interceptions, 2.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Kerry Rhodes joined the team in 2005 when the Jets selected him as a fourth-round draft choice out of Louisville.

With no clear cut starter, Rhodes was awarded the starting job after he beat out Oliver Celestin in training camp and preseason in his rookie season. Since then, Rhodes hasn't looked back.

After a 108 tackle season to start his NFL career, he followed it up in 2006 with an outstanding performance, coming down with four interceptions, five sacks, three forced fumbles and 99 tackles.

Rhodes has become one of the top safeties in the league and was rewarded with a five-year, $37.5 million extension last offseason.

A ball-hawking safety with the intelligence, leadership, poise and athleticism, along with Darrelle Revis, Lito Sheppard and Jim Leonhard, the Jets have a defensive backfield that could rank in the top of the league.

In four seasons, Rhodes has made 357 tackles, nine sacks, 12 interceptions and six forced fumbles.

Before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, John Abraham spent his first six season in New York with the Jets. One of four first-round picks in 2000, Abraham gave the team a significant pass rusher and put up 53.5 sacks and 19 forced fumbles in his time in New York.

While Abraham somewhat left the team on bad terms after contract disputes, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in a three-way deal that also involved the Denver Broncos.

The Jets ended up receiving the 29th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, which would eventually become the team's current starting center Nick Mangold.

Abraham, 31, still in the prime of his career, is now up to 84 career sacks and 31 forced fumbles with an astounding 16.5 sacks coming during the 2008 season.

With plenty of years still left in the tank, Abraham has the ability to become one of the top 20 sack leaders in NFL history when his career is done.

While Mo Lewis is always remembered and loved by Jets fans as one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history, he is also remembered to many in the NFL as the guy that knocked Drew Bledsoe out for the year during the second week of the 2001 season.

Why is this so significant? Bledsoe's backup was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan named Tom Brady. He would go on to lead the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships (four appearances) and was named MVP of the game on two occasions.

Lewis was a Pro Bowler during the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons and the Jets defensive captain from 1997 to 2003.

He finished his career with 1,236 tackles, 52.5 sacks, and 14 interceptions while spending his entire 13-year career with the Jets.

Laveranues Coles may have always seemed to have controversy stirring around him at times, whether it be, contract issues or whatever the case may be, but one thing is for sure, he always left his heart out on the field.

A third-round pick out of Florida State in 2000 by the Jets, he would go on to spend the first three seasons of his career in New York before signing on with the Redskins for more money.

While he did have a Pro Bowl season in 2003, Coles became unhappy with the Redskins and was traded back to the Jets for fellow wide receiver Santana Moss.

Coles spent the past four seasons in New York providing the Jets with nothing but success as the top wide receiver.

Despite not leaving on terribly bad terms this time, Coles again wanted a new contract and agreed to part ways with the team, but left a return to New York as an option.

A couple of weeks later, Coles signed with the Bengals on a four-year deal worth $28 million.

In seven seasons with the Jets, Coles amassed 5,941 yards on 459 catches with 37 touchdowns.

June 24 of this year will mark 10 years ago exactly that the Jets signed Vinny Testaverde to a one-year, $1.5 million deal to become the Jets' quarterback...and did he ever.

In his first season with the Jets, Vinny put up outstanding numbers, passing for 3,256 yards with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

That wasn't the only thing he did.

With Testaverde under center, the Jets won the AFC East division title and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game, where they would then lose to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos.

Testaverde would go on to spend the next five seasons in New York, but injuries caught up to him. He would be replaced in the middle of the 2002 season by quarterback of the future, 2000 first-round pick Chad Pennington.

Vinny would later re-unite with head coach Bill Parcells in Dallas for the 2004 season and at the age of 41 with both Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler going down with injuries, the Jets called Testaverde and had him return for the 2005 season. He would start four games for the team.

While Vinny has spent the past 21 years of his life donning an NFL uniform, he finally called it quits in January of 2008.

Testaverde spent seven seasons with the Jets, more than with any other team, and passed for 12,497 yards with 77 touchdowns.

Wayne Chrebet is one of the most uplifting stories to ever make it in the NFL.

An undrafted free agent local boy out of Hofstra, who was once 11th of 11 on the wide receiver depth chart during training camp in 1995. Chrebet's blue collar, hard-working attitude helped him make it onto the 53-man roster prior to the start of the season.

Chrebet would go on to spend his entire career in Green and White, before retiring in 2006 after 11 seasons.

He racked up 580 receptions (most in team history), 7,365 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was known as Mr. Third Down for his clutch ability to come in with a crucial catch in key situations.

Arguably one of the top three most memorable Jets of all-time.

Kevin Mawae is arguably one of the best centers to ever play the game. He joined the Jets after four seasons with the Seahawks and spent eight seasons in Green and White.

Mawae was selected to the Pro Bowl six consecutive seasons, all with the Jets, between 1999 and 2004.

In addition to his great success as a player, he was also known as a workhorse and played in 177 consecutive games without missing a start, but the streak was broken in 2005 when he went down with a triceps injury in his left arm.

Mawae is a very well-respected player both on the field and in the locker room and for that was named the president of the NFL Players Association.

The third of the four first-round draft picks in 2000, Chad Pennington has been one of the better quarterbacks in franchise history.

Pennington was immediately a fan favorite when he took the helm during the 2002 season. After taking over midseason after the team's 1-4 start, Pennington led the Jets to a 9-7 record and the AFC East division title.

He completed 68,9 percent of his passes for 3,120 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions and had a franchise-best 104.2 quarterback rating.

Pennington once again led the team to the playoffs in the 2004 season, but came up short in the divisional game against the Steelers.

After missing the bulk of the 2005 season due to injury, Pennington returned to form, leading the team to the playoffs once again and being named Comeback Player of the Year.

Pennington was cut by the Jets after they acquired Brett Favre prior to the start of the 2008 season.

One thing Jets fans could never forgot was Pennington's leadership, poise, accuracy and intelligence of the game. Easily one of the top five most memorable Jets in franchise history.

After the 2006 season, Pennington seemed to wear out his welcome in New York as fans began wanting a change behind center.

In his eight seasons with the Jets, Pennington passed for 13,738 yards and 81 touchdowns with a 65.6 completion percentage in 1,919 attempts.

Curtis Martin was drafted in the third-round by the New England Patriots during the 1995 NFL Draft.

After three seasons as the team's starting tailback, Martin became a restricted free agent prior to the start of the 2008 season.

He would go on to sign a six-year, $36 million offer sheet with the Jets. The Patriots declined to match the Jets offer sheet and received the Jets' first and third-round picks as compensation.

That signing would arguably go on to be the best signing in franchise history.

Martin would go on to spend the rest of his career (eight seasons) as a New York Jet.

In his first seven seasons with the Jets, Martin, the workhorse that he is, missed only one game and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times in that span.

Martin also won the rushing title at the age of 31, rushing for 1,697 yards during the 2004 season.

Both on and off the field, Martin led by example and was the perfect role model to any player entering the NFL for someone to look up to, but on top of that, Martin was also one of the very best of his time.

A future Hall of Famer, Martin is currently the NFL's fourth all-time leading rusher with 14,101 yards and 90 rushing touchdowns (100 total including receiving TDs).