Ranking every NY Jets starting quarterback since 1990

6. Brett Favre, QB, NY Jets

It's easy to look back on Brett Favre's lone season with the Jets as a failure, but some of that is revisionist history. After all, Favre led the Jets to an 8-3 record over their first 11 games and looked like one of the better quarterbacks in football.

That was before disaster struck, and he tore a biceps tendon in his throwing shoulder. Favre would record just two touchdowns and eight interceptions over the final five games of the season, tanking his overall stats for the year.

The Jets would finish 9-7, losing four of their last five games, and miss the playoffs altogether. It's fair to wonder what might have happened had Favre not injured his shoulder. What would his Jets legacy be?

5. Boomer Esiason, QB, NY Jets

Boomer Esiason's first year with the Jets was a success. The hometown kid returned to New York and made the Pro Bowl in his first season, helping lead the Jets to an 8-8 record in 1993, falling just short of a postseason berth.

Esiason started two more years for the Jets in 1994 and 1995, although his team did him no favors. Coaching turnover and a Rich Kotite-led team in his final season tarnish Esiason's reputation, but he was a solid starter during his time with the Jets.

That Pro Bowl appearance certainly helps his case, as does the fact that he never threw more interceptions than touchdowns in any of his seasons as a starter. That's a rarity for the players on this list.

4. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, NY Jets

Ryan Fitzpatrick had perhaps the single greatest season by any quarterback in Jets history in 2015. It doesn't matter that the team fell tragically short of the playoffs. It doesn't matter what happened the following year. That fact cannot be taken away from him.

The 2015 season was a magical one for the Jets as Fitzpatrick helped lead the team to a shocking 10-6 record. Fitzpatrick set a new franchise record with 31 passing touchdowns and fell less than 100 yards shy of becoming the second QB in team history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season.

Unfortunately, the Jets' 2015 season ended in heartbreak, and Fitzpatrick's second year with the organization was, for all intents and purposes, a disaster — contract dispute included.

It was very much a tale of two seasons for Fitzpatrick, but that glorious first year carries him into the top five.