1996 New York Jets season
The 1996 New York Jets season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League and the 37th overall. They failed to improve upon its league-worst 3–13 record from 1995 as they finished 1–15, which is the worst record in franchise history. This led to the firing of head coach Rich Kotite before the season ended with a record of 1–15.
1996 New York Jets season | |
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Owner | Leon Hess |
Head coach | Rich Kotite |
Home field | The Meadowlands |
Results | |
Record | 1–15 |
Division place | 5th AFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | None |
The Jets tied an NFL record that the New Orleans Saints set in 1980 and became the fifth team and first since the 1991 Indianapolis Colts to finish a season with fifteen losses. The record would be equaled by the 2000 San Diego Chargers, 2001 Carolina Panthers, and the 2007 Miami Dolphins before the 2008 Detroit Lions eclipsed it by becoming the first team to go through a sixteen-game season without a single victory.
Offseason
After three seasons with quarterback Boomer Esiason as the starter, the Jets decided to go in a different direction and released Esiason in the offseason. They signed Neil O'Donnell, who had just led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl, to replace him in the hopes he would duplicate his success with the Steelers. The Jets received the first pick in the NFL draft in April and drafted wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson out of the University of Southern California. The Jets also signed offensive tackles Jumbo Elliott and David Williams and receivers Jeff Graham and Webster Slaughter. The Jets spent $70 million in the offseason on free-agent and rookie contracts.
Additions | Subtractions |
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QB Neil O'Donnell (Steelers) | QB Boomer Esiason (Cardinals) |
QB Frank Reich (Panthers) | T James Brown (Dolphins) |
RB Reggie Cobb (Jaguars) | TE Johnny Mitchell (Dolphins) |
T Jumbo Elliott (Giants) | FS Anthony Prior (Vikings) |
G Harry Galbreath (Packers) | |
WR Jeff Graham (Bears) | |
WR Webster Slaughter (Chiefs) |
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Keyshawn Johnson | Wide Receiver | USC |
2 | 31 | Alex Van Dyke | Wide Receiver | Nevada-Reno |
3 | 62 | Ray Mickens | Defensive Back | Texas A&M |
5 | 133 | Marcus Coleman | Defensive Back | Texas Tech |
6 | 168 | Hugh Hunter | Defensive End | Hampton |
7 | 210 | Chris Hayes | Defensive Back | Washington State |
Personnel
Staff/Coaches
Front Office
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Coaching Staff
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Scouting Department
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Roster
Season
O'Donnell was the starter for the first six games of the season, but they went 0–6 under him. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during pregame warmups before the seventh game. Longtime Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich replaced him, but he didn't fare much better. They lost to Jacksonville and Buffalo, before the now lowly 0–8 Jets beat former Jets QB Boomer Esiason and his new team, the Arizona Cardinals (although Esiason didn’t play for Arizona in that game), at Sun Devil Stadium for what would become their only win of the season in their first game against the Cardinals since 1978.[1] Kotite announced his resignation on December 20.
Week 6 vs Raiders
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 34 |
Jets | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Game information | ||
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Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Network | Kickoff (ET) | Attendance | Record |
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1 | September 1, 1996 | at Denver Broncos | L 6–31 | Mile High Stadium | NBC | 4:00pm | 0–1 | |
2 | September 8, 1996 | Indianapolis Colts | L 7–21 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 1:00pm | 0–2 | |
3 | September 15, 1996 | at Miami Dolphins | L 27–36 | Pro Player Stadium | NBC | 1:00pm | 0–3 | |
4 | September 22, 1996 | New York Giants | L 6–13 | The Meadowlands | Fox | 4:00pm | 0–4 | |
5 | September 29, 1996 | at Washington Redskins | L 16–31 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | TNT | 8:00pm | 0–5 | |
6 | October 6, 1996 | Oakland Raiders | L 13–34 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 1:00pm | 0–6 | |
7 | October 13, 1996 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 17–21 | Alltel Stadium | NBC | 1:00pm | 0–7 | |
8 | October 20, 1996 | Buffalo Bills | L 22–25 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 4:00pm | 0–8 | |
9 | October 27, 1996 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 31–21 | Sun Devil Stadium | NBC | 4:00pm | 1–8 | |
10 | Bye | |||||||
11 | November 10, 1996 | New England Patriots | L 27–31 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–9 | |
12 | November 17, 1996 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 29–34 | RCA Dome | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–10 | |
13 | November 24, 1996 | at Buffalo Bills | L 10–35 | Rich Stadium | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–11 | |
14 | December 1, 1996 | Houston Oilers | L 10–35 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–12 | |
15 | December 8, 1996 | at New England Patriots | L 10–34 | Foxboro Stadium | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–13 | |
16 | December 14, 1996 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–21 | The Meadowlands | Fox | 12:30pm | 1–14 | |
17 | December 22, 1996 | Miami Dolphins | L 28–31 | The Meadowlands | NBC | 1:00pm | 1–15 |
Standings
AFC East | |||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) New England Patriots | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 418 | 313 | W1 |
(4) Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 319 | 266 | W1 |
(6) Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 317 | 334 | L1 |
Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 339 | 325 | W2 |
New York Jets | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 279 | 454 | L7 |