8 players the NY Jets gave up on way too soon

The NY Jets haven't always been the best at evaluating and retaining their own talented players. Throughout the franchise's 60+ years of existence, the Jets have shown a number of players the door, only for said players to find success elsewhere.

Some of those players showed flashes of their talent with the Jets before blossoming into true stars elsewhere. Others never came close to reaching their potential with the team, but they certainly found more success after leaving.

Either way, the Jets have seen this happen to quite a few of their former players over the years. Given that it's June and there isn't much to talk about, I thought it might be fun (read: traumatic?) to take a trip down the memory lane of Jets that got away.

Let's jump in and take a look at a few honorable mentions first. Actually, let's look at a couple of pre-honorable mentions before we really jump in.

Former NY Jets who deserve a shoutout

Danny Woodhead, RB

One of the most notable stars of the Jets' last "Hard Knocks" appearance, Danny Woodhead managed to carve out quite the NFL career for himself, despite his small stature. Woodhead played nine seasons in the NFL, developing into a versatile offensive weapon and special teamer.

He only played 11 games with the Jets, however, before the New England Patriots picked him up and turned him into a viable offensive contributor. Woodhead may have started his career with the Jets, but he didn't fully find his footing until after the team released him.

Jason Myers, K

The Jets seemed to have finally found the solution to their long-standing kicker problem when the newly-signed Jason Myers put together a Pro Bowl season from out of nowhere in 2018. However, then-general manager Mike Maccagnan opted not to re-sign Myers in the offseason.

In his four years since leaving the Jets, Myers has developed into one of the league's best kickers, including a perfect 24-for-24 season in 2020 and a Pro Bowl appearance in 2022. His initial replacement, Chandler Catanzaro, retired before the subsequent season began.