The Jets have not beaten the New England Patriots since Week 16 of the 2015 season, but this year could be different.

Just ask Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. 

The Super Bowl LIII MVP has noticed what the Jets have done this offseason and expects Gang Green to be a challenge for the defending Super Bowl champions this upcoming season. 

Joe Namath says there is no doubt about it, Tom Brady is the best quarterback to play the game. 

The Jets legend and Hall of Fame quarterback was asked about the greatest of all time at the position while on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, and while Namath has idolized many quarterbacks, none compare to the six-time Super Bowl champion who has tortured the Jets the last two decades. 

"Tom is the best," Namath said. "I've been asked that question for many years -- Johnny [Unitas] was my hero, Otto Graham was great, Slingin' Sammy Baugh, I go back, these guys are great. But meantime, Tom has been challened more in recent history, certainly with huge games than anybody I can recollect -- and he stepped up every time."

Josh McCown was a mentor to Sam Darnold in the Jets quarterback's rookie year. 

And even though he won't be around Darnold in his second year with New York after announcing his retirement and transition to ESPN NFL analyst, he is confident Darnold will show vast improvement in 2019.

"I tried to empty the clip with him and give him everything I could," McCown told ESPN's Rich Cimini. "He'll be just fine."

TMZ Sports released audio from Le'Veon Bell's 911 call when he told the operator that two women left his house with more than $500,000 worth of jewelry.

Bell reported to police on May 25 that he returned home from the gym to find jewelry missing and his closets had been rummaged through.

On the phone call, Bell told the Hollywood (Florida) Police Department that when he returned home from his workout, the two girls "took my money, they took my watch, my jewelry, a couple more of my things of value out of my house."

Versatile running back Ty Montgomery had a few destinations he could have pursued in free agency this offseason. But he eventually decided the Jets was the place for him, even though he wouldn't be the main man in the backfield. 

That title, of course, goes to Le'Veon Bell this season after he signed a long-term deal with New York. Still, Montgomery believed the Jets was the right fit, mainly because of the offense Adam Gase brings with him.

"You have to be smart," Montgomery told newyorkjets.com's Ethan Greenberg about Gase's offense. "You have to be able to catch the ball and you have to be able to run the ball. You can't have an imbalance and be at running back in this offense. It's actually pretty cool, it's challenging. I think it suits my abilities and I'm loving it."

GM Joe Douglas made key additions to the Jets' front office on Tuesday.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jets added Browns GM Phil Savage and Ravens Director of Pro Personnel Chad Alexander. Later in the afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Colts VP of Player Personnel Rex Hogan has been hired by Gang Green to be Douglas' assistant GM.

The 54-year-old Savage's role is unclear, but he returns to an NFL front office for the first time since he was with the Eagles from 2010-12. Meanwhile, Alexander will serve as director of player personnel for the Jets. 

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The Jets' offseason has been a wild roller-coaster ride. It started at the bottom when they fired their head coach, peaked during free agency and the draft, then went on a wild spiral downward when they fired their general manager … and then somehow managed to come out of it OK.

In fact, not only do they seem OK now that GM Joe Douglas and his good buddy, head coach Adam Gase, are in charge; they are convinced they are on an uphill climb again. They are loaded with optimism. They feel like they are finally headed in the right direction. They believe a return to the playoffs is near.

Maybe they're right. Or maybe they're fooling themselves. For now, though, there has been an unusual amount of hope and excitement around the Jets as they wrapped up their spring organized team activities and mini-camps. Time will tell if that's warranted or not.

Jets QB Josh McCown is officially hanging up his cleats, as he announced his retirement after 17 NFL seasons. 

Penning his retirement in a Players' Tribune article, McCown reflected on "one heck of a journey" that he has gone through in his NFL career.

While some have expressed their belief that McCown would be a great coach, he will join ESPN as an NFL analyst beginning Wednesday. 

It's safe to say Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer was ecstatic to see not one, but two of his players reach the Pro Bowl last season. Kick and punt returner Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers both put together solid seasons, good enough to be voted among the NFL's best to represent the Jets. 

But, now, Boyer doesn't have the luxury of those two on his depth chart any longer. Roberts is now a Buffalo Bill and Myers signed with the Seahawks, with both players not happy New York wasn't competitive in bringing them back.

Roberts, in particular, was one of the best return specialists in the NFL last season. He totaled 1,147 yards on 40 returns (29.4 ypr) with one touchdown, and had 324 yards on 23 punt returns (14.1 ypr) with a touchdown as well. That type of production will be hard to match, and Boyer knows it.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

To illustrate the lovely bond that bloomed between the 1969 Mets and their roommates at Shea Stadium, the Jets, John Schmitt tells the following story: 

Schmitt, the center on the Jets' Super Bowl III champs, brought his young son, John-John, to the ballgame one night to see the great Tom Seaver pitch. Schmitt ushered John-John into the Mets' clubhouse, where Seaver was getting a pre-game massage. Schmitt did not want to disturb a fellow athlete's prep, but Seaver insisted. 

"He got off the rubdown table, put on his jersey and hat and took a picture with us," Schmitt recalls. "He was great. Then he takes off his jersey, gets back on the table and went out and won the game that night.

Jets camp is in full swing, and there's a buzz in the Florham Park air. There's a new head coach, a new GM, and lots of fresh faces on the field.

Which players have the potential to be unheralded X-factors for the Jets this year? Here's five guys who have stood out so far.

Jonotthan Harrison (C)

Harrison is a familiar face after starting nine games over the last two years, but there was some thought that the Jets may pursue an upgrade at center this offseason. Instead, they stuck with Harrison, and the results are paying off.

Todd McShay won't be joining college teammate Joe Douglas in New York.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the 42-year-old analyst has elected to stay with ESPN rather than taking a job in the Jets' personnel department. 

Once Douglas was brought onboard, McShay told ESPN's Rich Cimini that he he was being considered for a front office position with the team. McShay and Douglas share a connection from their days together as teammates at the University of Richmond, but it sounds like McShay has decided to keep his current job in Bristol.

Joe Douglas made another change to the Jets' roster on Thursday, adding CB Mark Myers.

Myers, a Southeastern University product, signed with the Buccaneers last May after impressing during rookie camp as a tryout player. Myers stuck around with the Bucs during the preseason, but was later released when the roster was trimmed to 53 players. 

Listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Myers started for four years at Southeastern, whose NAIA football program started from scratch in 2014.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - If there's one thing that defined the Jets in the final two years of the Todd Bowles Era, it was their maddeningly underachieving defense. Every year they seemed to have so much talent and potential, but the production just never matched.

The strong belief inside One Jets Drive is that storyline is about to change dramatically under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Because if he can't get something out of this defense, then it's possible that nobody can.

The 60-year-old Williams was the most interesting, controversial, and by far the best hire that Jets coach Adam Gase made when he assembled his staff over the last few months. And it didn't take long for Williams to leave his mark on the team. His loud, profane voice has dominated spring practices, the same way his defensive players have often dominated on the field...

Don't ask Joe Vitt about his relationship with Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. 

The Jets' senior defensive assistant had little to say Thursday when asked about working under Williams again, like the pair did in New Orleans, where they were both involved in "Bountygate." 

"This is a National Enquirer question, or what?" Vitt tersely retorted. "I like Gregg. Me and him are friends. Next question." 

Jamal Adams has already expressed his fondness for new Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Perhaps one reason why is the tough love Williams showed him early on.

Williams recalled the first thing he said to the Jets' Pro Bowl safety the first time they met, and surely it'll light a fire within Adams.

At 42 years old, did new Jets GM Joe Douglas feel it was time for him to become a general manager? Was an opportunity like this something he was waiting for?

"I don't know if you know you're ready until you actually get there," Douglas told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Wednesday. "It's almost like the feeling before me and my wife Shannon were getting ready to have our first child."

Douglas added he thought he was prepared to be a father, and then when the baby was born, "whoa."

Joe Douglas has officially added to the Jets' roster for the first time as the team's GM.

During his introductory press conference, Douglas said that the Jets would use their No. 3 claim in the waiver wire to their advantage, and he's already making good on that claim in the early days of his tenure, as the Jets claimed CB Montrel Meander off waivers from the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday afternoon.

A Grambling State product, Meander originally signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent the majority of the season on the Browns' practice squad before finishing the year with the Raiders.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- In Joe Douglas' first year in the Philadelphia Eagles front office they made a bold trade up in the draft to land quarterback Carson Wentz. Douglas quickly realized two things: The Eagles had the right guy at quarterback, and they needed to move quickly to build a winner around him.

There was an excitement and a sense of hope and purpose back then about the Eagles' immediate future - something that thanks to the presence of quarterback Sam Darnold, the Jets' new general manager is absolutely feeling again now.

"There was a sense of urgency in Philadelphia knowing that we had a young quarterback and we want to put the pieces around him," Douglas said. "I think there's going to be that same urgency here with a young quarterback like Sam. I think once you know you have the right guy, that's the sense of urgency. Let's go win right now. I think that confidence is here right now."

"This is a good day, a really good day."

That's how Jets CEO Christopher Johnson opened up the press conference to introduce new GM Joe Douglas at the Jets facility in Florham Park on Tuesday. 

Johnson and the Jets moved on from now-former GM Mike Maccagnan, though he did complete their draft and free agent moves. Head coach Adam Gase was given the interim role, as the Jets went searching for someone who "shared my vision for the team," as Johnson put it. 

It wasn't long before new GM Joe Douglas made his first move for the Jets, as TE Neal Sterling was released on Tuesday. 

Sterling re-signed with the Jets this offseason on a veteran minimum contract, but he has been injured this offseason which has kept him out of team practices.

With Chris Herndon having a solid rookie season in 2018, and Trevon Wesco drafted in the fourth round back in April, the Jets had the depth to let him go. Jordan Leggett is also on the Jets' depth chart...

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The Jets are scheduled to introduce their new general manager, Joe Douglas, to the media on Tuesday afternoon. Here are 10 questions we'd like to see Douglas answer:

1. What is your current assessment of the roster you are inheriting?

While Douglas may not go into specific players or position groups, it's important to get some sense of how far away he feels the team is from being a contender. Mike Maccagnan expressed confidence in the team a few months ago, but - having inherited it rather than built it himself - Douglas might be more willing to be honest about some of the weaknesses.

Former Jets TE Kellen Winslow Jr. was found guilty on Monday of raping a 58-year-old homeless woman last year in a town north of San Diego.

The verdict was reached in San Diego Superior Court, where the 35-year-old former NFL player was also found guilty of indecent exposure and lewd conduct but not guilty of one count of a lewd act. 

Prosecutors used DNA evidence and pointed to GPS locations that placed Winslow where the women said the assaults happened to make their case while the defense argued inconsistencies in the accuser's stories and that the sex was consensual. 

The Jets (unsurprisingly) had a loud offseason. For the most part, everything went pretty well. They hired a new coach, won the Le'Veon Bell sweepstakes, and drafted Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick in the draft. Then, they fired GM Mike Maccagnan after the draft, and new head coach Adam Gase briefly served as the interim GM. With new GM Joe Douglas in the fold, the organization appears finished with its major offseason moves.

For a franchise that seemingly can never escape controversy, the Jets enter the 2019 season with an exciting roster and plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. These are a few of them...

Sam Darnold's progression

Reunited and it feels so good for Bilal Powell and Sam Darnold.

The Jets and Powell initially parted ways this offseason, but he still finds himself with New York heading into the new season. After a workout on Friday, Powell signed a one-year deal to come back to Gang Green. 

Darnold only had Powell in his backfield for seven games during his rookie season under center, but he is pumped to have him back in the mix when training camp kicks off in July. 

Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter

New Jets general manager Joe Douglas spent most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens although he's been with Philadelphia for the past three years. Prior to that, he spent a year with the Bears, which is where his path crossed with that of then-Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase. With Gase and Douglas reunited in New York, it's worth looking back at the players drafted by Douglas' teams to see if we can identify any potential future targets for the Jets.

Ironically, two of the biggest offseason acquisitions for the Jets were two of the best draft picks from Douglas' time with the Ravens. Baltimore selected CJ Mosley in the first round in 2014 and Kelechi Osemele in the second round in 2012 and they've made six pro bowl appearances between them. However, are there any other selections that Douglas' teams made in the past who could be targets if they become available?

DL Timmy Jernigan - Philadelphia 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

The Jets have had their share of dysfunctional coach-GM relationships over the last decade, and there's no guarantee that this one will be any different. Give two alpha males relatively equal power -- or any power, really -- and clashes are bound to happen. There's always a chance things can get bad.

But at least this time the Jets are starting out on the right foot, even if they got there in a backwards way. Because a huge key for any sports operation is for a coach and general manager to share the same vision, to be able to work together and solve their differences in a professional way.

So it's nothing but a good thing that Joe Douglas, the new Jets GM, was the hand-picked choice of new Jets coach Adam Gase. Yes, that's the reverse of how it usually happens. But in the end, it won't matter how they got there, as long as the Jets' two most powerful people begin and remain on the same page.

Joe Douglas may not be the only new addition to the Jets front office. 

The newly-hired GM is looking to build a staff around him and is considering ESPN college football analyst Todd McShay, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. 

McShay, who has never worked in an NFL front office, told Cimini that he is one of several options Douglas is considering. The two were teammates together at the University of Richmond. 

Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter

Now that the Jets have filled their general manager vacancy, there will inevitably be changes in the way the Jets put together their team. 

While Joe Douglas, like Mike Maccagnan before him, has a background in scouting, there are plenty of differences in his approach. 

Let's consider some of the main tenets, how they differ from those of Maccagnan and what this could mean for some of the players on the current roster.

The Jets have found their next general manager.

The team announced on Friday evening that Joe Douglas, formerly the Eagles vice president of player personnel, has agreed to terms to join the Jets' front office.

Per SNY Insider Ralph Vacchiano, Douglas did not make this easy for the Jets. The negotiations lasted several days and it took several offers from the Jets before Douglas finally accepted, according to an NFL source. At one point, some people close to him thought he would eventually turn the Jets down.