7 homegrown former Jets who went on to win a Super Bowl elsewhere

Super Bowl Sunday — the Christmas morning of football. Pigskin fans get this moment once per year, and it's celebrated like a national holiday. All of this glee, however, isn't necessarily shared by New York Jets fans. This day, year in and year out, is nothing but a painful reminder of how long it's been.

The last time the Jets were gearing up for a Super Bowl, the year was 1969. And what a glorious Super Bowl it was. The Jets defied all expectations and gambling odds to defeat the NFL's Baltimore Colts.

Since then, though, a Jets Super Bowl appearance has been all but a dream.

And now, 56 years later, the Jets' 2018 third overall pick will be lacing up cleats to dance on the biggest stage of them all. But it won't be Gotham Green and white that he's wearing. No, Sam Darnold will run out on the field in College Navy Blue, Wolf Grey, and a splash of Action Green for the Seattle Seahawks.

This is a tough pill to swallow for the Jets faithful, of course. But it's also not the first time a Jets draft pick found Super Bowl glory in a different town. Here are seven other homegrown Jets who won a Lombardi Trophy somewhere else.

1. DE Bryce Huff - Philadelphia Eagles (2024)

The Bryce Huff experience had its highs, but it ended indisputably low. After signing with the Jets as an unheralded and undrafted free agent out of Memphis, Huff proceeded to beat the odds and become a legitimate starting end in the league.

After combining for just 7.5 sacks over his first three seasons, he broke out in 2023 with a career-high 10 sacks, 21 QB hits, and 33 pressures. It was a great underdog story, but one that ultimately ended with his signing with Philadelphia in the offseason.

While the Jets endured the absolute nightmare that was Haason Reddick as Huff's replacement, Huff went on to win a Super Bowl ring with Philly. While he ultimately underperformed, a ring is a ring.

And I think, despite the mediocrity, it's safe to say Huff got the better end of the deal.

2. LB Jonathan Vilma - New Orleans Saints (2010)

It's hard to do much better than Jonathan Vilma did in his rookie season for the Jets. Appearing in all 16 games and starting in 14 in 2004, Vilma registered 108 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three interceptions.

He walked away with Rookie of the Year honors, but certainly didn't rest on his laurels. Vilma was even better in year two, finishing with a whopping 173 combined tackles and 128 solo tackles, both of which led the entire league. He would reach his first Pro Bowl that year, and followed that up with another 117 tackles in 2006.

A knee injury took him out of commission for most of 2007, and former general manager Mike Tannenbaum opted to trade him to New Orleans in 2008 ahead of his fifth season. Which, in hindsight, was the best thing to ever happen to Vilma.

In 2009, Vilma returned to the Pro Bowl with 110 tackles and three interceptions. His Saints would also win Super Bowl XLIV against Peyton Manning's Colts, with Vilma quarterbacking the defense.

Interestingly enough, the Jets easily could have played Vilma in that Super Bowl if they maintained their halftime lead in the AFC Championship game in Indianapolis. Vilma would be cemented in New Orleans and Super Bowl lore forever. The Jets would remain... the Jets.

3. RB John Riggins - Washington (1983)

For all the younger fans, this name might not register whatsoever. And for the slightly older, but still too young to remember fans (me included), this name is really just that — a name you hear when older fans talk about the '70s and '80s.

But John Riggins is far more than just a name. Riggins is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who not only won a Super Bowl like the rest of the guys on this list, but he is the only one who also won Super Bowl MVP.

Drafted sixth overall in 1971, Riggins slightly disappointed during his first few seasons. He never eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing or 300 yards receiving during the first four seasons of his career. He was solid, but he wasn't sixth-overall-pick solid.

Then he finally broke out in year five, rushing for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns. Finally, he was playing at the level the Jets had been waiting for for almost half a decade.

But the Jets, being the Jets, failed to re-sign him that offseason. He opted to ink a deal with Washington and began his march to the Hall of Fame from there. Four 1,000-yard seasons, multiple dominant playoff runs, and one 24-touchdown season led him right to Canton.

Nothing tops his performance in Super Bowl XVII, where he rushed for 166 yards on the way to a decisive win over Miami. By the end of his career, he was known as one of the more beloved — and eccentric — players in football history.

The Jets remained... again... the Jets.

4. LB James Farrior - Pittsburgh Steelers (2006, 2009)

Not many people remember James Farrior's stint with the Jets. Most football fans know Farrior as the menacing inside linebacker wearing Steelers' black and gold alongside (the even more menacing) James Harrison on the outside.

But before he was winning Lombardi Trophies, Pro Bowl honors, and Defensive Player of the Year votes as a middle linebacker in Pittsburgh, he was honing his craft in green and white as an outside linebacker in New York.

Selected with the eighth overall pick in 1995 by the Jets, notably high for a linebacker, Farrior proceeded to underwhelm (sound familiar?). Not that he was abysmal, but he was far from eighth-overall-pick worthy.

It was in his fifth year that he broke out (sounds like someone else, huh?), recording a combined 145 tackles, more than doubling his previous career high of 71. He also caused three forced fumbles and brought in multiple interceptions that season.

But as his time with the Jets grew increasingly similar to Riggins', Gang Green failed to re-sign him in the offseason. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Farrior came as close as you can to a Hall of Fame career without having one. And he became one of the faces of two Super Bowl-winning teams, for one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports.

And as I said previously, while Farrior reached all of these heights, the Jets remained... one more time... the Jets.

5. OL Mekhi Becton - Philadelphia Eagles (2024)

The previous four names will really sting Jets fans, for varying reasons. But this name likely draws nothing more than a scoff and an eye roll.

Becton was selected with the 11th overall pick out of Louisville in 2020. The 6-foot-7 behemoth of a man, protecting then quarterback Sam Darnold's blindside, appeared to be a successful draft pick for the Jets. He left that season with a reputation as one of the more promising young left tackles in the game.

Over the next two seasons, he would appear in just one game due to knee injuries. From there, he became a constant headache. He was never in playing shape once healthy, and even blamed the Jets for his injury woes.

It was in Philadelphia where he would rebuild his image, and in doing so, win himself a Lombardi Trophy. And it's not as though he was just a cog in the machine. Becton started 15 games and performed at a high level, something Jets fans never could have expected.

While he still gets the last laugh, he's back to his dramatic ways with his new team in Los Angeles. He's been in and out of the Chargers' lineup, and he's already taken to pointing the finger at his coaching staff, just as he did with the Jets.

Things for Mekhi Becton remain up and down, but he still has one more Super Bowl ring than any Jets player over the past five-plus decades.

6. WR Keyshawn Johnson - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003)

"Just give me the damn ball."

That's not me saying that, obviously. That's what rookie wide receiver out of USC, Keyshawn Johnson, said. He said it to quarterbacks. He said it to the coaches. He said it to the media. And eventually, he said it to the world, titling his book with the same name.

Just give me the damn ball. This made sense, in theory, as Johnson wasn't just another wide receiver. He was the first overall pick in 1996, something you rarely see from a wideout. He was a phenom. He was special.

But over his first two seasons, he was just... alright. He brought in 60+ receptions and 800+ yards both years. He also managed to butt heads with beloved fellow receiver Wayne Chrebet. And his controversial attitude was a bit more than his play was worth.

That all changed in 1998, though. Johnson brought in 1,131 yards and 10 touchdowns on 83 receptions. A star was born. The Jets came within two quarters of a Super Bowl birth that year. And the fairy tale continued from there, right?

Wrong. In 2000, with no Lombardi Trophy in hand, Johnson was sent packing to Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay. Like most others on this list, it was the best thing to happen to him. In 2001, he made his third Pro Bowl. In 2002, he helped the Bucs defeat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

The Jets, of course, never had such luck. They remained... say it with me... the Jets.

7. CB Darrelle Revis - New England Patriots (2014)

I'll keep this one short and sweet because it hurts the worst by a mile. Darrelle Revis isn't just a great New York Jet. He isn't just one of the better defensive players in Jets history. He isn't just a Hall of Famer.

Darrelle Revis is the single greatest cover corner the world has ever seen, full stop. He was a part of the Rex Ryan Jets' defense from 2009-2011, which won't be remembered for what it was — an all-time great defensive group.

The Jets, after six seasons with their star cornerback in New York, allowed Revis to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following an ACL tear that limited him to just two games in 2012. In 2014, he did the unthinkable. He signed with the evil empire, the New England Patriots.

He then, of course, won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and company. He held the Lombardi Trophy in the hated red, blue, and silver, something Jets fans will (unfortunately) never forget.

And still, as fans, we wait for our moment in the sun like that. Based on how things are going, I think we should all get comfortable waiting.