25 Greatest Offensive Players in New York Jets History

I consider the NFL a year-round sport, so no matter what the season, Jets fans should love this. Researching for this article really helped me learn about some names any good Jet fan should know, such as Emerson Boozer, Wesley Walker and Freeman McNeil.

Let me just say now that this is the top 25 offensive players, so if you make a comment like "where's Mark Gastineau?," or "where's Kyle Clifton?," I'm not going to respond.

So that's about it. Read through it and tell me what you think. If you're too lazy to read it, just go through the slides, see who I picked and tell me if you agree or disagree. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy.

25. Richie Anderson

Fullback 1993-2002, 305 receptions, 2449 yards, 10 Touchdowns.

Anderson was a sixth round pick for the Jets in 1993, and it ended up being an extremely smart choice. Anderson started 90 games over 10 seasons with the Jets, and had five seasons with 44 or more catches.

His best season came in 2000, when he made the Pro Bowl. The fullback had 88 catches for 853 yards and two touchdowns.

24. Brad Baxter

Fullback 1989-1995, 779 carries, 2928 yards, 35 Touchdowns.

Baxter played his entire seven year career with the Jets, and started 72 games as a fullback. The Alabama State alum notched 35 career rushing touchdowns, including 11 in 1991.

23. Rob Moore

Wide Receiver 1990-1994, 306 receptions, 4258 yards, 22 Touchdowns.

Moore was one of the most productive offensive players for the Jets during the early 1990's. For each of his five seasons with the team, Moore had at least 44 catches, 692 yards and one touchdown.

Moore's best season, and only pro bowl season with the team came in 1994, when he had 78 catches, 1010 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs as a Jet. Moore would go on to play the last five years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

22. Laveranues Coles

Wide Receiver 2000-2002 and 2005-2008, 459 receptions, 5941 yards, 37 Touchdowns.

A third round pick out of Florida State in 2000, the Jets probably never envisioned Coles being as productive as he turned out to be.

In his third season as a Jet, Coles notched 89 catches, along with a career high 1,264 yards and five touchdowns. He then signed with the Washington Redskins, but returned to the Jets in a 2005 trade that sent Santana Moss to the Skins.

Coles had another great season in 2006, in which he had 98 catches-a career high, 1098 yards and six touchdowns. He is currently has the fourth most receiving yards for a Jet in team history.

21. Johnny Hector

Running Back 1983-1992, 1051 carries, 4280 yards, 41 Touchdowns.

For a player who never started more than nine games in a season, Johnny Hector had a very productive career for the New York Jets.

A 1983 second round pick out of Texas A&M, Hector had two ten touchdown seasons, and finished his career with a yards per carry average over four.

He has the third most rushing touchdowns in Jets history. All this for a guy who never started more than nine games in a season.

20. Jerome Barkum

Tight End 1972-1983, 326 receptions, 4789 yards, 40 Touchdowns.

Barkum was the ninth overall pick of the 1972 draft, out of Jackson State, the same alum of Walter Payton. He originally played running back, but spent most of his career as a tight end.

Barkum's best season, and only Pro Bowl season came in 1973, in which he had 44 receptions, 810 yards and six touchdowns. He has the most touchdowns for a tight end in Jets history.

19. Richard Todd

Quarterback 1976-1983, 54.3% completion, 18,241 yards, 110 Touchdowns, 138 Interceptions.

Though Todd's touchdown to interception ratio is not very attractive, Todd did some good things for the Jets.

The sixth pick of the 1976 draft, he took the Jets to the playoffs twice, including a trip to the conference championship in 1982 against Miami.

Todd's best season came in 1981, in which he threw for 3,231 yards with 25 touchdowns, a career high and 13 interceptions.

18. Keyshawn Johnson

Wide Receiver 1996-1999, 305 receptions, 4108 yards, 31 Touchdowns.

Though he only spent four years with the Jets, his impact was huge. Johnson had at least 63 catches, 844 yards and five touchdowns in each of his four season with the team.

His best season as a Jet was 1999, in which Johnson had 89 catches, 1170 yards and eight touchdowns, a pro bowl season. Had he stuck around with the Jets a little longer, Johnson would probably be higher up on the list.

17. Vinny Testaverde

Quarterback 1998-2003 and 2005, 59% completion, 12,497 yards, 77 Touchdowns, 58 Interception.

Though he was 35 when he first arrived in New York, Vinny showed us that age doesn't matter. In his first year as a Jet, Testaverde was a pro bowler, throwing for 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, and the Bill Parcells coached Jets were just a win away from the Super Bowl.

Though Testaverde would never match those numbers as a Jet, he didn't do too badly, and he even made four starts for the team in 2005, at the age of 42.

16. Bill Mathis

Fullback 1960-1969, 1044 carries, 3589 yards,37 Touchdowns.

Mathis is one of two players on this list who played for the Jets when they were still called the Titans.

Mathis was a two time pro bowler, and was an all pro in 1961, in which he led the league in carries with 202, had 846 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

15. Rich Caster

Tight End 1970-1977, 245 receptions, 4434 yards, 36 Touchdowns.

For a guy who played before tight ends were transformed into receivers, Caster did his fair share catching the ball.

A three time pro bowler, Caster's best season came in 1972, when he made 39 catches for 833 yards and a career high 10 touchdowns.

14. John Riggins

Fullback 1971-1975, 928 carries, 3880 yards, 25 Touchdowns.

While Riggins spent the majority of his
Hall of Fame career with the Washington Redskins, he spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Jets.

He was a pro bowler in 1975, a year in which he had 238 carries for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns, a career high at the time.

13. Mickey Shuler

Tight End 1978-1989, 438 receptions, 4819 yards, 37 Touchdowns.

A third round pick out of Penn State in 1978, Shuler was not always a productive player. Through the first six years of his career, Shuler had just 83 catches for 922 yards.

But in 1984 Shuler had a breakthrough season, making 68 catches for 782 yards and six touchdowns. He would play at this level for the rest of his career, and even made two pro bowl appearances, in 1986 and 1988.

12. Wayne Chrebet

Wide Receiver 1995-2005, 580 receptions, 7,365 yards, 41 Touchdowns.

Wayne Chrebet certainly wasn't the flashiest player on the field, but he was effective. An undrafted rookie out of Hofstra, Chrebet was actually detained by a security guard at Jets training camp during his rookie season because the guard thought Chrebet was tresspassing.

In other words, he thought Chrebet was way too small to be on an NFL team. Chrebet would go on to have seven seasons with more than 50 catches, and had a 1,000 yard season in 1998.

So for all you die hard Wayne Chrebet fans out there, the Green Lantern still shines, and much brighter than any star in the universe.

11. George Sauer

Wide Receiver 1965-1970, 309 receptions, 4965 yards, 28 Touchdowns.

You might think I'm crazy for putting Sauer at number nine, because he only played six seasons and that he retired at age 27, at the beginning of his prime.

Sauer and Don Maynard were the top receivers for the 1968 Super Bowl Jets team. Sauer was a four time pro bowler and two time all pro, who's best season came in 1967, when he had 75 catches for 1189 yards and six touchdowns.

10. Al Toon

Wide Receiver 1985-1992, 517 receptions, 6605 yards, 31 Touchdowns.

Toon may not have been a touchdown machine, but he could catch. In seasons when he had 10 or more starts, Toon had at least 57 catches and 693 yards.

A three time pro bowler, Toon's best season came in 1986, when he hauled in 85 catches for 1176 yards and eight touchdowns.

9. Matt Snell

Fullback 1964-1972, 1057 carries, 4285 yards, 24 Touchdowns.

Snell split the running back duties with Emerson Boozer during the Jets 1968 Super Bowl victory. An Ohio State alum, Snell was the third overall pick by the Jets in 1964, and went on to be a three time pro bowler.

Though he was all pro in 1969, his best season came in 1964, in which he had 215 carries for 948 yards and five touchdowns. Snell was also a pro bowler in 1966.

8. Ken O'Brien

Quarterback 1984-1992, 58.6% completion, 24,386 yards, 124 Touchdowns, 95 Interceptions.

The Jets first round pick in 1983, O'Brien didn't disappoint Jet fans. He made the pro bowl twice, in 1985 and in 1991.

O'Brien led the 1985 Jets to an 11-5 season, making the playoffs. O'Brien's best season came in 1985, when he threw for 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

7. Chad Pennington

Quarterback 2000-2007, 65.6% completion, 13,738 yards, 82 Touchdowns, 55 Interceptions.

Though many accused Pennington of having a weak arm, Pennington was a great quarterback for the Jets, when healthy.

Though he started just 61 games over eight seasons with the Jets, the former first round pick led the Jets to the playoffs twice, and won a game in 2004 against the Chargers.

After a 2005 season that limited Pennington to just three starts, he bounced back and started all 16 games, a first for Pennington, and led the Jets to the playoffs. He was named NFL comeback player of the year for 2006. His 65.6 completion percentage is first in Jets history.

6. Emerson Boozer

Running Back 1966-1975, 1,291 carries, 5135 yards, 52 Touchdowns.

Boozer teamed up with Matt Snell as the running game for the 1968 Super Bowl Jets team. Boozer was a two time pro bowler, in 1966 and 1968, but his best season came in 1972, when he had 549 yards on 120 carries and a career high 11 touchdowns.

5. Freeman McNeil

Running Back 1981-1992, 1798 carries, 8074 yards, 38 Touchdowns.

Before there was Curtis Martin, there was Freeman McNeil. Before Martin was the Jets all time leading rusher, McNeil was. He was a three time pro bowler, and was an all pro in 1982.

In the strike shortened season, McNeil led the NFL with 786 rushing yards and had six touchdowns. He rushed for over 1,000 yards twice, including over 1,300 yards in 1985.

4. Wesley Walker

Wide Receiver 1977-1989, 438 receptions, 8306 yards, 71 Touchdowns.

It's safe to say that Wesley Walker was injury prone. He started all 16 games just twice, and not counting the strike shortened season, he started nine or less games five times.

But when healthy, Walker was among the best receivers in football. He has the second most receiving yards and touchdowns in Jets history, and is tied for fifth in receptions.

Walker was a two time pro bowler, and an all pro in 1978, when he had a league leading 1,169 receiving yards and league leading 24.4 yards per catch.

Had he stayed healthy throughout his career, he could have passed Don Maynard for all the Jets major receiving records.

3. Curtis Martin

Running Back 1998-2005, 2,560 carries, 10,302 yards, 58 Touchdowns.

After three seasons with the New England Patriots, Curtis Martin came to the New York Jets, a move that Jet fans will never forget.

In eight years with the team, Martin became the Jets all time rushing leader, along with their all time rushing touchdowns leader.

He appeared in three pro bowls during his time with the team, including an all pro season of 2004, in which he led the NFL in carries with 371 and yards with 1,697. Martin is widely recognized as the greatest running back in Jets history.

2. Don Maynard

Wide Receiver 1960-1972, 627 receptions, 11,732 yards, 88 Touchdowns.

Maynard is the other player on this list who played with the Jets when they were still called the Titans.

Maynard is often regarded as the greatest receiver in Jets history, and he is one of two Jet hall of famers, the other one being the man who is number one on this list.

He holds all major Jets receiving records including receptions, yards and touchdowns. He is the only Jet with more than 10,000 receiving yards.

Maynard led the league in yards in 1967, when he had 1,434 yards. In 1965, he led football with 14 touchdowns.

1. Joe Namath

Quarterback 1965-1976, 50.1% completion, 27,663 yards, 170 Touchdowns, 215 Interceptions.

It's true, statistically, he's not a Hall of Fame quarterback, he's not even a great quarterback.

But guaranteeing a win over the highly touted Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl and then winning the Super Bowl is mainly what gets Namath at number one on this list.

Namath, the first overall pick of the 1965 draft, is the Jets leader in every major passing category including passing yards, touchdowns, and one he's not too proud of, interceptions.

Namath was a five time pro bowler, including an all pro season in 1968. In 1967, he became the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. So his stats may not look too great, but stats can only tell part of a story.

The bottom line is that Joe Namath was the greatest player ever to play for the New York Jets.