Drake Maye of the New England Patriots speaks with coach Mike Vrabel prior to a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Getty Images
It’s impossible to imagine just how mad or perhaps even physically ill the sight of Drake Maye or Mike Vrabel must make Jets fans.
On national TV on Thursday night, they got a good look at both in New England’s 27-14 victory over New York.
Since Jets linebacker Mo Lewis made Tom Brady the Patriots’ starter by crushing Drew Bledsoe in 2001, the Jets have started 24 different quarterbacks.
At best, some were O.K. for short stretches (Mark Sanchez, Chad Pennington, Ryan Fitzpatrick), but most ranged from anonymously lousy (Tim Boyle, Mike White, Josh McCown) to draft busts (Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson) with a couple of past-their-prime Packers (Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre) mixed in.
Darnold and Geno Smith, who were bums in East Rutherford, became competent once they washed the Jets stink off themselves.
Young and old. Free agents, draft picks. Reclamation projects. They all turned out the same. Nobody was that good and nobody lasted that long.
Currently, things are so bad in New York that Justin Fields was publicly benched, but then had to start anyway because Tyrod Taylor was hurt.
Right now, Mac Jones and maybe even Bailey Zappe would represent an upgrade to the Jets offensive backfield.
Last week, the Jets traded their two best defensive players for draft picks, desperately hoping one of them could produce a quarterback good enough to make them a contender.
Meanwhile, the Patriots, who had the most successful quarterback in NFL history land in their sixth-round laps, suddenly have a second-year quarterback who is an MVP candidate under center. When the Jets were picking second overall, they got Zach Wilson. Then the Patriots get Maye at No. 3 three years later?
Rational thinking says that’s simply good luck for New England. Jets fans are convinced it’s the latest sign that the universe is out to get them. Life isn’t fair, but that’s just cruel.
It might be even worse at head coach. Before Belichick was a tabloid-magnet college football coach, he did a pretty terrific job building the Patriots. The Jets had him. He was the coach in waiting with a roster that was at least decent. But things were so bad that he bailed. Gang Green fans had to watch him do all his winning as the H.C. of the N.E.P. instead, often at the Jets expense.
Other than Rex Ryan, who overachieved and still got fired, the Jets have had a revolving door of bad choices calling the shots. Fireman Ed has as many playoff wins as Al Groh, Eric Mangini, Adam Gase and Robert Saleh combined.
Todd Bowles was 24-40 without a playoff appearance at Exit 16W, but turned out to be a pretty good coach in Tampa Bay after he was freed from North Jersey.
The Jets fired Saleh early last year to get a head start on the next coaching cycle and actually interviewed Vrabel. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, they planned on having him in for a second interview. But the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo and swooped in. Vrabel went to Foxborough and the Jets went back to the drawing board. Aaron Glenn might be a good coach eventually, but he’s swimming against history.
In 2023 and 2024, both the Patriots and Jets were bad. But record-wise, the Jets were a little better.
But now, the Jets are back to year zero of yet another teardown/rebuild cycle. They’re headed for a high draft pick in a year where all of the quarterback prospects look underwhelming, while the Patriots are the betting favorites to finish with the best record in the AFC.
The NFL is going to be waving it in the Jets’ faces going forward. The Patriots were a surprise this year. They’re a fun team with compelling characters. Next year, they could be regulars on national TV.
New England wore their Nor’easter rivalry uniforms for Thursday’s game, but it’s a rivalry in name only.
Nobody will ever match the Patriots’ six Super Bowl wins, but the current squad doesn’t have to come close to that to make the Jets miserable.
Drake Maye is 23. Mike Vrabel is 50. They both could be in New England for the foreseeable future, tormenting the Jets for many years to come.
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