Ranking all 33 foreign-born players in NY Jets history

The sport of football continues to become more international with every passing year, and the NY Jets are a prime example of that. With over 30 foreign-born players in team history, the Jets boast a rich archive of international flair.

What once was a sport confined to the states has become an increasingly global pastime with players from all across the world. From Germany to Mexico, the NFL continues to emphasize the globalization of the sport.

The Jets have had 33 players born in a foreign country suit up to play for the green and white. Some of those players were key contributors over many years. Others played a handful of games with the team.

The result is the same, however. If a player was born in a foreign country and played at least one game with the Jets, they will be on this list.

Let's set a few ground rules first. This list is only accounting for players born in foreign countries. That means individuals born in Hawaii or any American territory, such as American Samoa or Puerto Rico, do not qualify. That disqualifies players like Frankie Luvu and Ropati Pitoitua.

On top of that, players just need to have been born in a foreign country — they don't necessarily have to have lived there for any number of years. Yes, this means Tim Tebow, born in The Philippines, will be featured in this article.

It's also incredibly difficult to rank a list of 33 players from different eras, with different positions, and with varying times spent with the team. An emphasis is placed on longevity, though, so the longer a player spent with the Jets, the higher they will likely rank.

This list also only accounts for what a player did with the Jets. We're not taking into account success (or lack thereof) with other teams. This ranking is strictly looking at their performance in a Jets uniform.

It took days/weeks of research and hours of perusing through old New York Times archives, but the list is finally complete. Here is a ranking of every single foreign-born player in Jets history (as of August 2023).