Tag: Victor Green

The 5 biggest free agent successes in Jets history

The Jets Wire takes a look at the five biggest free agent successes in New York Jets’ franchise history.

The Jets have been known for making poor decisions and having free agency decisions blow up in their face. Still, New York deserves credit for its good free agent signings over the years.

Whether it was signing an undrafted free agent that turned into a consistent starter or signing a player who would eventually build a Hall of Fame career with the team, these moves go down as some of the most successful in franchise history.

With that being said and free agency right around the corner, here are five of New York’s biggest free-agent successes.

Curtis Martin

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Not only is Curtis Martin the greatest free agent signing in franchise history, but he is one of the best players to ever play for the Jets.

Martin inked a six-year, $36 million contract with the Jets back in 1998. He was one of the best players at his position at the time. He was acquired when the Bill Parcells-led Jets signed him away from the Patriots, sending New England two draft choices in return.

Martin rushed for a franchise-high 10,302 yards and 58 touchdowns in 123 career starts for the Jets. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012 and was a two-time first-team All-Pro with the Jets in 2001 and 2004.

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It’s about time Steve Atwater made the Hall of Fame

Steve Atwater wasn’t known for this time with the Jets but still had a long and fruitful career in the defensive backfield.

It took 16 years, but “The Smiling Assassin” will finally grin forever in Canton.

Steve Atwater, the former Broncos and Jets safety, joined the class of 2020 as a Pro Football Hall of Famer 21 years after he retired from the league. Atwater made his hay as one of the hardest hitting safeties of the 1990s, terrifying offenses at the line of scrimmage and stopping even the mightiest of running backs.

Though he only played one nondescript season with the Jets, Atwater rightfully deserved the Hall of Fame induction after 16 years of eligibility and three as a finalist. Atwater retired the year after he signed with the Jets as a free agent in 1999, a season in which he only played 12 games and tallied just 63 total tackles and one forced fumble.

Atwater didn’t bring pain and terror to the Jets defense, but he racked up stats and accolades during his 10-year career with the Broncos. He earned eight Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections, won two Super Bowls and registered 1,000 tackles, 24 interceptions, five sacks, five forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

The Broncos used Atwater the way a lot of big-bodied safeties play now – at the line of scrimmage. There, he crushed running backs and played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ run defense. Two moments encapsulate Atwater’s career: His devastating hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye and his dominating performance in Super Bowl XXXII.

Atwater somehow derailed Okoye in Week 2 of the 1990 season, a feat now many could accomplish given Okoye’s 6-foot-1, 260-pound frame. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Atwater proved himself up to the task. Atwater played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins. He terrorized the Green Bay Packers offense in Super Bowl XXXII with six solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. 

Once his career concluded in Denver, Atwater joined the Bill Parcells-led Jets in 1999. Atwater played alongside Victor Green in the deep secondary with cornerbacks Marcus Coleman and Aaron Glen on the outside. The Jets went 8-8 in Parcells’ first year in New York and Atwater finished sixth on the team in total tackles with 63.

Atwater paved the way for safeties like Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Landon Collins to become staples of the defenses as imposing defensive backs. He won’t be remembered for his time with the Jets, but Atwater’s career as a whole certainly deserved Hall of Fame recognition.