The full-scale roster rebuild isn’t a unique situation for the Jets. They’ve gone through various tear-downs in an attempt to resurrect the franchise and create a more competent and cohesive organization.
Considering the Jets currently own the longest active postseason drought in the league at 10 years, it’s not a surprise that those previous rebuild attempts failed miserably.
But 2021 marks a new age for the Jets. Joe Douglas runs the show now after a year of accruing draft capital and salary cap. He’s poised to bring the Jets forward with a new head coach, too, after firing Adam Gase, and could draft another quarterback after three unspectacular seasons from Sam Darnold.
This process isn’t an easy one, though, and Douglas would be wise to look at previous rebuilds from some of the more recently successful teams in the league.
We’ve highlighted six teams who successfully changed the trajectory of their franchise. They all did it in different ways, but every rebuild revolved around a new head coach, smart drafts and wise financial decisions. Every team eventually got the head coach right, hit on at least a few first-round picks and never overspent in free agency unless it was at a major position of need (like quarterback, cornerback or edge rusher).
Let’s dive into some recent rebuilds from the past five years and see what Douglas and the Jets can learn…