NFL Mocks picks the greatest Jets trade in history

NFL Mocks of the FanSided network picked the greatest trade in the history of every NFL team. For the New York Jets, it was a no-brainer.

When a team makes a big trade for a player either in the NFL Draft or before the trading deadline, it’s met with hope and the possibility of greatness. Such is the case for the New York Jets when many decades ago, they pulled off a trade that ended up being NFL history.

It was back in 1965 that the Jets made a big trade with the then Houston Oilers to secure the No. 1 overall pick. The Jets drafted Alabama quarterback Joe Namath and well, the rest is history. Namath went on to set records both from how big his NFL contract was to his solid performance on the gridiron.

Besides his initial rise to fame early on in the NFL, nothing will ever beat Namath’s guarantee that the Jets would beat the then powerhouse Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It created a media frenzy across the world since many believed Namath was flat out crazy to make such a bold prediction.

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Needless to say, Namath nailed it as the Jets shocked the Colts and won their first championship in franchise history. The initial trade that led the Jets to land Namath is easily their greatest trade in the history of the franchise. In a slideshow written by Erik Lambert of NFL Mocks, here’s why he picked this moment as the best Jets trade ever:

Given how much the NFL had dominated the AFL in the first two Super Bowls, most thought this was crazy blabbering by a loudmouth who didn’t respect the game. That is until the Jets stunned the Colts 16-7. Not long after that victory, the two leagues merged and Namath went into history as one of the most critical figures in the history of the sport.

In the grand scheme of things, not only did Namath put the Jets on the map but his legacy will be one that will be remembered forever in all of professional football. The Jets have yet to find such a quarterback that became a larger-than-life character or one that was able to do their part in bringing a championship home to the city that never sleeps.

Overall, the Jets can only hope that future trades like what they did decades ago can pan out with such surreal results. Considering they just pulled off a big trade this year for a potential future franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, could very well be the start of history repeating itself.

Hopefully.